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Next Big Thing: Transforming trainers

Whether galaxy print, herringbone or Donald Trump memes are your pattern of choice, these shoes have your feet covered

Autobots for my feet? It’s about damn time

You’ve… you’ve seriously been waiting for that? Because we’re afraid you’re going to have to wait a fair bit longer. These trainers don’t physically transform into war robots (or any other kind of robot, for that matter). Instead, they have the ability to connect to your smartphone, letting you change their colour and design at the press of a button. It’s about time footwear caught up with the rest of the tech world.

You can order different inserts?

Even better. Way better in fact. These snazzy trainers have built in e-paper displays, which means that you can beam any pictures you fancy, straight to your feet, changing up your style whenever you like. Harris Tweed for the business/casual board room meeting in the morning? No problem. Luminous yellow, green and hot pink in the evening for your monthly rave? Why not. Hell, you can put your name on them if you like. Or a picture of your cat. He’ll be honoured.

(Can’t see the above GIF? Then you must be on mobile. Try clicking the image)

I already have so many things to charge though…

Are you seriously complaining about charging something which gives you the ability to wear animated gifs on your feet? Anyway, thanks to e-paper’s zero power consumption when a static image is displayed, they’ll barely use up any power at all. There’s even talk of a built-in charging system which juices them up as you walk. The bad news is that you’ll have to wait a while before slipping into your own pair. US$250 will net you a pre-order for a pair of ShiftWear trainers on indiegogo, but they’re not due to be delivered till October 2016. Boo.

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.