GPS sneakers soon to hit retail stores

By now, this is an old report.

I have to say that when I first saw it, I thought that this shoe must only come in women’s sizes… haha.. I’m kidding! (or am I? *mischievous look*)

Its actually a GSP chip in the shoe, which when activated at the push of a button, would communicate with 4 international satellites. Unlike what I initially thought, it does not help you get from one place to another. On the contrary, it is meant to help authorities locate you. The inventor, an engineer and one-time UN scientific analyst, got the idea to develop the shoe after his son was mistakenly reported missing in school.

It could also be used to help locate patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

The shoes are set to retail US$350 a pair with 30,000 orders already placed by retailers world-wide. About 2,000 people have placed orders online for the shoes. But this is not the only charges, the GSP service (a 24hr monitoring service) would cost the wearer US$25 a monthly.

It is certainly a good idea. However, I do have a number of questions. How many people would actually be able to afford a pair of shoes like these? Would someone suffering from Alzheimer’s actually remember to press and hold the button for 6 seconds? Would he even remember he was wearing the shoes, where the button is located or that there is even a button in the first place?!