Inventor crafts GPS-equipped shoes, includes a panic button

We've seen some fairly interesting means of keeping track of your mischievous kids (or pets), but Sayo Isaac Daniel's latest invention takes top honors as the ultimate paranoid parent's must-have gizmo. Aside from the obvious tracking uses, Daniel's GPS footwear is actually intended to beam out a distress signal to a pre-selected recipient if the wearer hits a certain panic button. The GPS-equipped kicks would present the location of the violated victim to whoever is deemed that person's hero, and would hopefully give the rescuer enough time to arrive and lay down the law. Also, the patent explains an "alarm toe switch" that would be inserted within the shoe in order to give customers the ability to sound their alarm (intentionally or otherwise) without making any sudden movements. Reportedly, a company dubbed Quantum Satellite Technology plans to start selling the shoes "in March for around $350 per pair," but the GPS signal emanating from your soles won't do you much good if your kidnapper ditches your footwear before tossing you in the trunk.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[cmonkey @ Jan 2nd 2007 7:46PM]

Yet again, Engadget needs a basic engineering lesson. The shoes don't put out a "GPS signal". GPS is merely a system of triangulation. So, the shoes can find their location via GPS, but in order to transmit the information to someone, like a parent, the shoes need to be equipped with a cellular radio, perhaps GPRS, in which case, triangulation with cell towers could be more useful (see E911). Regardless, having to recharge your shoes every day could get annoying.

[vrb @ Jan 2nd 2007 10:47PM]

dude, shouldnt bash the post for one poor phrase at the end (also see your comment). why would these shoes need to be recharged daily? they are designed as an emergency alarm, and shouldnt require any power until the (rare) occasion the alarm is activated.

[Unbelievable @ Jan 3rd 2007 1:07AM]

Hey, while in general you are right: GPS devices know exactly where they are, but that doesn't necessarily mean anyone else know where they are (Hollywood notwithstanding!). But in this case you should RTFA. These things actually do send the location of the shoes (as determined by the GPS) when the user hits the "panic button".

[BrandonLehman @ Jan 2nd 2007 7:54PM]

All I want is a phone in my shoe. These guys missed it by *that* much.

[YourTechSupport @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:05PM]

1.) STRIP THEM NAKED AND BURN/MISPLACE CLOTHING
2.) Metal Detector Wand + Cavity Search
3.) Put subject in tinfoil/faraday mesh lined room.
4.) ????
5.) PROFIT.

[Ian @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:25PM]

Brandon:
I don't think many people will get your reference. I wouldn't have if I was still in my cone of silence.

[Deluxe @ Jan 2nd 2007 9:48PM]

I would be surprised if many people *didn't* get the reference.

[kaztm @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:31PM]

This thing won't fly...literally.

[TheBoffin @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:50PM]

Now i'd have expected a double-click of the heels together (Dorothy style) to activate the alarm .. boy have these designers got no imagination! ;-)

[Mike @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:52PM]

@Ian, i think most people got his "Get Smart" Reference,
@YourTechSupport, if that is... Nice Southpark reference,
THE GNOMES AHHH!!!

but seriously this is a good step (pardon the pun) in the right direction in keeping kids safe, all thats needed is a lower price tag

[krusher_00 @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:57PM]

Great deduction 99... ;-)

[Joseph @ Jan 2nd 2007 10:11PM]

Wow, that's interesting. How much does this thing cost?

Joseph,
www.mutabletech.com

[b00da @ Jan 3rd 2007 9:52AM]

Wouldn't you want to be sure your emergency device had power? It wouldn't be that great of an emergency device if the batteries were dead when you needed to hit the panic button, now would it?

[steve @ Jan 2nd 2007 11:25PM]

could you imagine what the checkpoint in the airport would think of this, having gadgetry stuffed inside your shoe? They already make you take them off and run them through the scanner. It would properly throw off a false bomb scare, with the wires, box, and panic sensor. If these things are going to market, someone better tell them.

[rodrigo1508 @ Jan 2nd 2007 11:41PM]

This would be great for people with alzheimer or some type of mental incapacity

[itlnstln @ Jan 3rd 2007 11:21AM]

This would be great for people with alzheimer or some type of mental incapacity

If they can remember how/if to use it... :(

[dave @ Jan 2nd 2007 11:41PM]

I wouldn't be caught found dead in those things!

[dave @ Jan 2nd 2007 11:42PM]

What? Too soon?
PS your strikethrough tags don't work.

[IndoorLBS.com @ Jan 3rd 2007 12:05AM]

It would be cool to have the GPS + RFID chip from Fujitsu, which could enable indoor-outdoor tracking.
More here: http://indoorlbs.com/id178.html

[shirizaki @ Jan 3rd 2007 9:33AM]

Also included is the feature to have the panic button placed in the heel of the shoe:

*click heels*
There's no place like home....which is at 30N and 70 W

Woohoo!

[John @ Feb 10th 2007 11:20AM]

Hmmmmm....

I did a quick search and found the following patent document:
US 6788200 to Jamel, Mitchell W; Bertagna, Patrick E; Davis, Jr., Ralph H
Filed 10-21-2002, issued 9-7-2004.

Patent application is directed to GPS units in footwear.

[TIMMAH! @ Jan 3rd 2007 11:39AM]

Oh cool, yet another reason to get strip searched at the airport...

[corey @ Jan 4th 2007 8:09AM]

Ummm, this is not a new invention. This company already produces and sells them. http://www.feleonline.com/men_walking_athblk.php

[Ben Portman @ Jan 16th 2007 10:44AM]

This would be great to put on our congressman and Senators to make sure they showed up to vote on issues. Also, we can track the president and others in the Executive branch.

[Ben Portman @ Jan 16th 2007 10:44AM]

This would be great to put on our Congressman and Senators to make sure they showed up to vote on issues. Also, we could put them on the president and other in the executive branch to track them.

[Leigh @ Jan 26th 2007 11:55PM]

This is a wonderful idea for those families with Alzheimer members. The chance that the patient is ON the plane would probably be a rarety. I thought of both my grandfathers when I heard about this invention/idea. I think this is going to fly!

L