Google, Adidas & EA Sports team up on smart soccer insoles – the Adidas GMR
Three big name brands have teamed up on new a Jacquard technology product, a pair of connected soccer (football for our European readers) boot insoles – the Adidas GMR.
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Project Jacquard, which is made out of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, is all about developing commercial products that utilize touch-sensitive fabrics. The last Jacquard product was released in October 2019. It represented a high-tech take on the brand’s iconic Sherpa and Classic Trucker Jackets.
The apparel uses a Bluetooth connect conductive yarns and electronic tabs in the garments to a mobile device. This allows for some cool functionality such as asking the smartphone for directions, answering calls, controlling music playback and more. A month earlier, Google announced a $1,000 smart rucksack, developed in collaboration with Saint Laurent.
The initial hint of the first 2020 product landed a couple of weeks ago. The soccer arm of Adidas posted a teaser gif on something being developed in collaboration with Google’s ATAP group and EA Sports. The short clip made it clear the product will be “powered by Jacquard technologies.”
We thought perhaps it might be a smart football jersey or jacket, but instead it turned out to be a pair of intelligent football boot insoles. Adidas GMR comes in the form of a tag that has a accelerometer, gyroscope, and microprocessor inside. This allows it to keep tabs on your movements on the pitch, collecting data on ground covered, kicks, ball touch and other control metrics.
All you need to do is slot the tag into the complementary insoles that come with the product. The insoles (sized between U.S. 4 to 13.5) fit into any standard cleats and are meant to be worn on the dominant foot.
The most interesting bit is that the stats will be used by FIFA Mobile soccer and this is where EA Sports comes in. Real-world performance will help you compete in virtual weekly challenges and progress in overall team ranking – “the more you play in real life, the better your FIFA Mobile Ultimate Team becomes.”
The Adidas GMR can be picked up on the company’s website from today for a very reasonable $40. They are available in the US, as well as 24 other countries.
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