Nike Video Promises Music Control via Shoes

A marketing stunt that should make it to retail

Looks like the Nike marketing machine rolls on. A YouTube vid shows Daito Manabe (a "bleeding-edge sound artist and alternative inteface guru") hooking up a bunch of Nike Free sneakers to massive Nike-branded speakers. Each Free was equipped with accelerometers and flex sensors, allowing Manabe and his team to program sounds for each bump and bend.

Any chance Nike would turn Manabe's little show into a consumer-friendly package, and go beyond mere marketing? A good groove always makes that monotonous jog more enjoyable. Why not let people create their own music, programming popular sound bites or their own recordings to their shoes? At least those high-priced Nike shoes gain more value.

Enough words: time to enjoy the music via the video here. Detailed information on the entire setup is here.