Topic

Glitch LED Sneakers - in real life

I went to the Vancouver Glitch Launch Party last week as my Glitch... which wasn't especially difficult given his taste in clothing. Except for his love of the beautifully geeky LED Sneakers.

So I took on the challenge to construct a pair in real life. I bought myself an Arduino microcontroller, wrote a little software and fired up the hot glue gun. The results were a lot of fun and got a lot of attention.

I've blogged the hell out of the shoes and the development process... mostly to provide an intro to Arduino development but might also be of interest to fellow Glitches.

You can read about it here: intro, parts, hello world, first test, final code, putting it all together, in action, epilogue.

[If you only want to see what they looked like, you probably want to skip over my love of software, hot glue and velcro and get straight to in action !]

Posted 13 months ago by Snazzlefrazz Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Wow, that looks fantastic! I've been wanting my own pair of LED shoes since my Glitch first got them, but I never thought to make them myself (: Maybe I'll give it a try now. Thanks so much for sharing!
    Posted 13 months ago by Xacau Feera Blin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Awesome job, Snazzlefrazz! Way to Glitch!
    Posted 13 months ago by karibean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Nicely done, Snazzlefrazz!
    Posted 13 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ha!
    My son had a pair of light-up sneakers like those when he was 4.  :: loves ::
    Posted 13 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks guys!

    George - I remember those sneakers with the lights in the heels. Seems they're targeted mainly at kids now but when they were first introduced there were versions in adult sizes too. I remember a news story about someone who robbed a convenience store at night and then ran off into the woods thinking he could make a clean getaway... which he might have if he hadn't been wearing sneakers that lit up with every step he took :-)

    shakha - I tell ya... with the Arduino stuff it couldn't be easier. It brings together all the hardware, software and non-tech stuff in such a way that someone who knows a little about one but nothing about the others can figure it out pretty easily. If you fancy a go, feel free to drop me a line. Having said that, I'm just remembering someone from a couple of months ago who built an Arduino-based Glitch skills queuer with the LCD and wifi modules attached -  I think they're our actual resident expert!
    Posted 13 months ago by Snazzlefrazz Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ahhahahahaha Snazzlefrazz that story is hilarious.  I can totally see that happening too.  XD

    They *are* aimed just for kids... however... there are also some LED light-up high-heels for (geeky) club-goers.  ^_~

    http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l%253D224560%2526a%253D224557%2526po%253D5,00.asp?p=n#fbid=vPFT5gj1Vka
    Posted 13 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OH!! Those are the best shoes ever!!!

    Wow! I'm so jealous of you. 

    Thanks so much for sharing. Your skills are amazing. 
    Posted 13 months ago by Tenebrae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am in awe of your geeky Glitchitude, my friend. Insanely great!
    Posted 13 months ago by Wynella Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh George, those would be amazing in-game... perspex light-up high-heels :-)

    Having said that, I'm not sure if the player model could accommodate it... all the existing footwear options seem to be rather clumpy.

    I'd love to see more animated wardrobe items full-stop - I guess the limiting factor is working out legitimate reasons that clothing would actually animate in real-life. Maybe if we ever get scarves then they'll flick around in the breeze!
    Posted 13 months ago by Snazzlefrazz Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ooo, fun with Arduino! What a nifty implementation.
    Posted 13 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is so awesome, Snazz! Great job... I love those shoes too, and snapped both styles up instantly. Very cool to see your RL version!
    Posted 13 months ago by Lilith Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you so much for the offer, Snazzlefrazz :) If I actually give this a go, I'll probably have to take you up on that!

    OMGiant, those heels are awesome! I had light-up shoes as a kid, and I'd love those heels now! I don't enjoy clubbing all that much, but I think owning them would change that, haha.
    Posted 13 months ago by Xacau Feera Blin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Those are awesome! great work!
    Posted 13 months ago by Avery♥ Subscriber! | Permalink