orphe smart-sneakers offer light painted patterns with your feet

orphe smart-shoes allow light painting with your feet
all images courtesy of no new folk studio

serving as a customizable lighting system, a musical instrument and an audio-visual controller, ‘orphe’ is a smart-shoes system designed for performance, artistry and functionality. japanese company no folk studio have embedded 100 full-color, serially-controlled LEDs into the sole of each shoe, allows users to intuitively express themselves by freely mapping interactions between their movements, light and sound. currently seeking funding on indiegogo, the tech-packed kicks hope to serve as a canvass or palette for artists and performers who wear them. light-painted patterns and designs can be achieved when the shoes are used in low-light conditions, with a long exposure camera capturing swirling patterns and looping effects.

using applications on their smartphones to customize the shoes’ LEDs, ‘orphe’ users can wear the colors of their choosing. ‘finding a way to make shoes that have batteries and a host of electronic components inside them has been very challenging’ no folk studio describe, ‘but through close collaboration between a traditional shoemaker and our engineers we’ve been able to achieve a minimalist design that functions well both as an interface and as footwear.’