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Former Member

Have you heard about Sensoria Smart Socks yet? Probably not. Let me explain what they are and why I am so excited about them.

Before I start, let me be 100% clear, I do not own any positions in this company and will not profit from them in any way. I, myself, have pledged $99 to their startup fund. This is not a commercial, okay?

What are Sensoria Smart Socks?

Sensoria is a new start-up technology company based in Italy working on making a smart sock. Yes, you read that correctly; smart sock. You're probably thinking to yourself, what could be more dumb than a sock? Not anymore. Sensoria socks are made from a 100% machine washable e-material that also acts like a biometric sensor. When you attach the anklet, it collects that biometric data from your socks, and transmits the data to your smart phone. Take a second and think about that. This is a bit of that "wearable technology" that was being discussed in the Bill McDermott keynote at SAPPHIRE NOW last month. The socks will collect data about where the pressure points on your feet are as you walk, run, cycle, or whatever you do with your feet. I'm a runner so of course the running features really have me interested. For running, Sensoria will let you know if your stride is too long or too short. It will alert you (in real-time) if you are close to setting a personal record, and help you push a little harder to reach it. Sensoria will help you keep your pace. It will also alert you to any motions or behaviors that could lead to injury and help you avoid them. Watch the video on their site. It describes the features really well.

Is this really real?

At the moment, no. It is in very early phases, which is why the company is reaching out to the public for some crowd funding. While not on the popular Kickstarter, Sensoria is up on Indiegogo. It is open for pledges as of the writing of this post. If the company meets its funding goals, it can start production. If not, they promise refunds for the Indiegogo investors and a release at a later date once other funding can be secured. This is their fast-track.

Why is he writing about this on SCN?

Here's why; this has major potential in the realm of Business Analytics. Sensoria smart socks are really just wearable data collectors about your feet. Imagine with me for a moment. Imagine a shoe store. I'm going in to buy a new pair of running shoes. Instead of the traditional questions asked by the sales associate "Do you like a minimal shoe, or some support? Do you pronate or supineate?" I transfer them an aggregated view of my stride, gait, pressure points, etc., and based on actual data, the sales associate knows exactly what types of shoes are best for me. Imagine what this can do for shoe retailers.

Imagine my high-school-aged daughter's field hockey team. If the whole team were wearing Sensoria socks, the coach would know who's running the hardest, who's sand-bagging, and who might be headed towards an injury.

Imagine a visit to the doctor. I share my Sensoria data with my doctor, and instantly they have a wealth of information about not only the structural health of my feet, but also a good picture of how active I am and how that relates to preventative health.

And that's just the beginning. We're going to see a lot more wearable technology in the near future, but I am super-excited that some of it is right around the corner.

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