--I

Publishers: Sam Francisco, CA, 1993 adapted by V.K. Narayanan in Managing Technology and Innovation for competitive advantage.: Pearson Education Inc, Indian Edition, 2001

And now, an 'intelligent'

Adidas shoe

You must have heard of 'smart' or 'intelligenl' cards, 'intelligent' machines and even 'intelligent' buildings:...But'intelligent' shoes for running? Not as yet. Well, Adidas has j~t introduced one such, the most advanced shoe ever, with a sensor, a c microprocessorand even a small'computer to boot. The 'intelligent' shoe appropriatelyalled.''' a a providesintelligent cushioningby automaticallyndcontinuously dj~stjngitself. .'

The shoe, accordingto an Adidas statement, does so by sensing the cushioninglevel with the help of a sensor and a magnet. .It then 'intelligenUy' understands, via the. small computer,
whether the cushioning leve) is too soft or too finn. And accordingly, it adapts with a motor-driven cable system to provide the correct cushioning through out the run. The electronic system in the shoe works like a human reflex nerve. The nerve is a magnetic sensing system, whether the sensor is placed just be!ow the runner's heel and the magnet is located

at litebottomof the midsole. On each impact,the sensor measures the tJistance from the

top to the bottom 0; the midsole, accurately to 0.1. millimeter, thereby gauging the compression

and the amountof cushioning being used. In all,just about 1,000 readings per second are taken
and relayed to the shoe's brain, the microprocessor.

Underneath the arch is the shoe's brain, the microprocessor capable of making fIVe million
calculations too fll111. per second. Software written specifically for the shoe compares the compression

messages fE!Ce~ed fro!," the ~ensor to a preset zone and understands

if the shoeJs too soft or

Once it has determined if the cushioning level is appropriate, it sends a command to the shoe's

muscle to make a change.

ho~sed
. lengthel')S

A motor~riven cable system is the in the midfoot. receives the brain's instructions and adapts

shoe's muscle. The motor,

by tuming a. screw, which

cable. This cable.is secured to the walls of a plastic cushion.ing element. When the cable is shortened, the cushioning element is tensed and compresses very little. When the cable is longer, it allows the cushioningelement to compress further, makingthe shoe's ride
softer.

or s~s.a

A small replaceable battery. which lasts for 100 hours of running -the nonnallite of a shoe provides the motor's power. The changes are gradual and happen automatically. So, all the runner feels is that the shoe is just right during an entire run. Taking a whole of three years in development, the ~hoe was a secret project, known by only a

few people even within Adidas. An exclusive distnbution of shoes will be in select retailers and Adidas 'Sport Performance' stores from December 2004. It will retail for $ 250 and 250 Euros;

According to Mr. Erich Stamm inger, Executive Board Member, Adidas, who is responsible for global marketing and North America, this product will change the entire sporting goods industry. "It is a true first and establishes Adidas as a dear leader in the field of innovation," he said in the
statement.

In India, Adidas products are available in almost all the leading cities, marketed by Adidas India Marketing Pvt; ltd., a joiot venture company of Adidas India Pvt. Ltd., the Indian subsidiary of Adidas Salomon AG and Magnum International Trading Co. Ltd.

~.

Source: Business Line (The Hindu Group): May 8, 2004

Yes the shoes, too, can be intelligent. he story above talks of Technologyin an athlete's shoe T but it is omni present and its use is far and wide. Science and Technologyhave become inseparable part of the society.Technologytouches the lifeof everyone rightfrommorning.tillhe goes to bed,.even in bed; technologyis at his service whether he is sleeping in a'hot summer night with air conditi9nerswitchedon or in the freeZing cold with the roomcentrallyheated. In poor nations, too, where people cannot afford air conditione,;or central heating, technology comes handy. The hands swung palm leaf fan or fire created by wood or coal has technology embedded in it, though of lowerlevel. The first instant of technologyis always quoted as the :nvention of fire. Humankindand the animals were preying on each other tillthe mankind could keep animals away by acquiring technOlogiesto make hunting\9Olsand to create fire. The invention'-and use of stone weapons with which man started preying the -animals gave them power over the animals. There was !1a'emental innovatiOnin the-stone weapons and through __ __humanbeings became more and mnr~ $upMnr in power, ~~ to the animals. Stone weapons were replaced by metallicweapons as soon as we acquired knowledge about metal and skiDto process it. Thus mankind moved to Bronze AIJethousands ofyears ago. The innovation journey whichcreated technolOgycontinued progressivelytin simpleinstruments lik~ compass for navigationcame intobeing. The rate of innovationincieased and itwas not only the replacement of muscle power but eVen 1he mentat ~ became strongerand stronger with sclentific ~tions. A bigleap was taken through industrialrevolutionwhichprovidedus steam eogine. electricity.rail, car etc. inproving .the quality of life. It took hundreds of yeal" after industrial revolutionto reach whatwe call infonnation age, in whiChthe'knowledgebase became wider and the rate of.inventionincreased (Figure 1.1). Today, IThas becomesynor.ymous with tecmology, but it shoutd be cIeartyunderstood that IT is just one segment of technology. There are many more technologies,whichare in use by the society. It is ~id that fromITwe would be moving 81to8T Le. BiotectaM)logy. fact both IT and 8T have invaded in each other's domain in ~ technology forecasters and a new field of tea.8OIogycalled Bioinfonnatics has ~ have 8Iready declarednear saturationin the development of sirecon chiparidthat Moore"slaw can no longer deliverifwe are stuckwithsiflCOnhip as the mediumfor futureITdevelopmeOt. The c buzz word today is DNAchip,whichwillmultiplyby itself. It is said that ITgadgetSplaced in the homes and officeswillget..J'epCaced 8T gadgets, as it is befleYedthat ITand 8T jointly will by ~ ~ convergence. During the recent times environmental.technoIogyand space ~ have also become ~ 01competitive .advantage to the companiesas wen .as td the nations. Nanotecmo8oQyand-Terat~ are other ~ technology which will
_

enhance the product and process technology in any field.

"... 'r

Technology is the applicationof science. engineering. and industrialorganizationto create new Products. Services ancf.processes and improve the existing Ones. It has led. in developed nations. to a standard Oflivinginconceivablea hundred years ago. The ~" however, is not free of stress. 8y very nature,technologybrings change in sOcietyand underminesconventioo.:'It affects virtuallyevery aspect of humcmendeavor; private and public institutions,economic systems, communicationsnetworks,politicalstructures. inJemationaiaffiIia~, the organization of societies, and the conditionof human lives. The effects ~ not one-way;just as technology changes society, so do societalstructures,attitudes, and values affect technolOgy. echnology is T changing and the rate of change is increasing but it is so ~pidly and completely assimnated, that the profound interplayof technology other social endeavors in modemtimesis not sufficiently and recognized. -

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