SmartSole Allows Tracking Through Your Shoes

The GPS world doesn’t have a shortage of ways to track just about anything—cars, freight, keys, pets and even people. GTX is introducing one of the stranger ways to track people—through their shoes. Their product, SmartSole, is a GPS tracker embedded in a removable insole that can fit in just about any shoe. According to their press release, it’s designed to help track children, elderly and at-risk patients. The sole is waterproof and can be controlled through a smartphone, computer or tablet. It comes with a rechargeable battery which, they claim, only has to be recharged every few days—a rather gross concept as you’d have to pull out your smelly insole and place it on a Qi charger every few days.

On one hand, I can see the value of having a sneaky GPS tracker for patients prone to take off cumbersome bracelets, or designed so that would-be kidnappers or attackers won’t be aware of the GPS device. On the other, it seems a little ridiculous. The device is available for pre-order and costs around $300 a pair with monthly service plans ranging from $10-$30. Also, insoles don’t last forever, so I suspect you would have to replace them pretty frequently (Slash Gear estimated every 12-18 months, but my insoles never last that long). Seems a hefty price to pay when most phones come with basic GPS, and tags aren’t all that expensive.

Anyway, here is a video GTX has put out explaining how the SmartSole works and why it’s worth your money.  I don’t know that I would ever buy one but I would definitely feel a bit like James Bond knowing my shoes are so high-tech…