Engineers at Rutgers University have developed sneakers that harvest energy from walking and analyze your gait using AI.
A triboelectric generator in the sole produces electricity with every step โ enough to power the sensors and a microcontroller running an AI model. The lead researcher, Simiao Niu, helped develop the ECG sensor for Apple Watch, so he knows the charging problem firsthand.
"Once you put it onto the charger, you typically forget about it, and then you don't wear it. Those wearables cannot monitor your health if you just leave them in your drawer," Niu says.
โก๏ธ While you walk, the AI counts your steps, recognizes your movement type (slow and fast walking, running, stair climbing) with 95.4% accuracy, and estimates calories burned. The result shows up on a small screen.
Would you wear sneakers like these?
โค๏ธ โ Yes, convenient and no charging
๐ฅ โ No, I'd rather use a smartwatch
@aitopics