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.
