Apple Patents 'Smart Shoe', Alerts You When It's Worn Down
Sensor would detect and record a wearer's usage habits.

Apple has been granted a patent of a smart shoe concept, which would see chip-equipped shoes alerting wearers when it's worn down.
The patent is titled as "Shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods" and was filed back in the July of 2012, with authorities recently granting it to the Cupertino firm.
Apple's filing states that it would integrate a sensor and processor in the heel of a shoe, with wearers being alerted when the shoe itself is worn out and needs to be replaced.
The sensor would detect and record a wearer's usage habits; for example, if a wearer ran 500 miles, the technology would track the distance and how hard one is hitting the ground.
Other activities alongside running can also be detected including weight lifting. The smart shoe would utilize pressure sensors to adequately determine when the shoe's sole is worn out.
A worn out shoe would send an alert by utilizing either a batch of LED lights or through a wireless transmitter to an external display such as a smartphone.
seriously, those who can buy this probably buy shoes long before they are worn out, and those that are not would probably just use their eyes
The Japanese got this covered, along with other ideas:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-most-terrifying-features-japanese-toilets/
Pretty close actually...
Most "new" ideas only exist in the virtual/electronic world nowadays and have little bearing in the real world...
Yea, give me a thumbs down all you want, but when was the last time you saw something that was absolutely, fundamentally new in the past frickin forever?
And if it's damage, just use super glue.
Sadly the new generations that wake up with an Apple Ishoe can buy this shit and think its better for them .....
There is great article written by Nick in Fudzilla to talk more about this phenomena :