Shoes that speak haptic

Your boots are made for walking, but what if they could also do the talking—silently. Hyderabad-based Lechal (Hindi for ‘here, let’s go’ or ‘take me along’) makes techtronic footwear that speak haptic. At the heart are these 8mm thick stainless-steel pods that ‘go’ 15 days on a single charge. They slide into hand-stitched, soft-soled leather and suede peds (or easy-care microfibre), and guide your feet via GPS. Also, track the friends you are meeting up with so nobody gets lost and you know who is running late. Yes, there is an app for it, which doubles up as fitness tracker too—your shoes can even help you select one of several travel paths based on your motion goals and limitations. There is an interactive voice mode, if you can adjust your social circle for talking to shoes, or you can gesture with your feet if dancing is more up your street (tap to tag a location, say). There is even an offline mode (so bring them happily on a flight). It even works while you drive, commute, ride a bike… Best side-effect? The Bluetooth technology means your shoes will let you know if you are in danger of misplacing your phone! A portion of the proceeds from every sale goes towards subsidising another pair for a visually challenged person, accessibility having been the inspiration behind the brand’s technology originally. The shoes are also delightfully good-looking, an attribute not often enjoyed by products for the differently abled. But if you prefer greater discretion, they have trimmable insoles that will put their pods in your own shoes to do the job. Shoes from Rs 6,999, insoles from Rs 8,699, shipping from April 2016, www.lechal.com