I'd been umming and ahhing over whether to re-introduce trainer-themed content to this blog in an effort to give myself more to write about and create momentum. Adidas Originals have made the decision for me, though, and my first post of 2010 is about trainers, but also about one of the hottest predicted trends of 2010, Augmented Reality.
Basically Adidas have turned the humble sneaker into an Augmented Reality device. A code embedded in the tongue, when used through a webcam on the Adidas site, will create a virtual 3D neighbourhood where your trainer should be.
Adidas Augmented Reality TrainersWithout being able to see what the actual sneaker looks like, which is of course pretty important if you want to spend between $65 and $95 on a pair, this looks quite cool even if it had no functionality, just as a curiosity or a value-add.
Consider that there will be games introduced in the next few months, developed by xForm, that will allow you to use these environments as a gaming platform, and it becomes a different matter.
Un-Augmented Reality - A Pair of TrainersAs if I needed an excuse to collect more different pairs of Adidas Originals (I bought the pair above today while on a trip to buy a gift for my girlfriend), the potential for different Augmented reality environments within different models, allowing for varying gaming experiences, makes for quite a unique sell.
There is a danger that every product will carry an Augmented reality code, that there will be a novelty use, and that we will ultimately tire of it simply being something clever rather than something useful. The pace of development, particularly in it being delivered to the consumer, is strong, however, and I can envisage a lot of posts in 2010 detailing far less 'showy' applications of AR.
The news bit of this was nicked off Net Imperative
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