How the Shoe Odometer got started?

I originally designed the Shoe Odometer so that it would eliminate the annoying problem of knowing when new shoes were needed.  The journey turned out to be so much more.

The idea got in my head and I just couldn’t get it out.  I knew there had to be a better way.  So tried and tested everything on the market that met the standards of being: affordable, durable, accurate, easy to use, automatic, and waterproof.  Just like start of any idea or invention I couldn’t find anything on the market.   I found there was a significant need for this type of device and not just for tracking shoe wear.  People wanted an accurate, consistent, and affordable way to measure their walking and running.

I’m a running coach and not an engineer so I needed to hire competent people to help me.  I was very fortunate to find a consultant and an engineering firm that shared my vision and believed in the idea.  Who would have known that essentially we were creating a mini computer with a micro processor and hours of programing.  I have to admit looking back this was an exciting process.  There were hours of work, but everything was an adventurous learning process.  The first meeting with the engineers was like, “I really wish they would speak English!”  By the end it was a very fulfilling, I not only understood, but I was directing the team.

It took over a year, but we finally made something that meet all the requirements that we set out to achieve.  The big breakthrough came when Tim (engineering consultant) found a motion sensor that used next to no power at all.  That was huge, because now we essentially had a lifetime battery, solving the problem of how to make a product that didn’t require a battery that needed to be changed frequently.

Then there was the testing.  Testing consisted of making prototypes and putting them on all different types of runners and walkers.  Of course I tested it a ton too.  There were several months where I ran and walked every day with a hand counter in one had and a prototype on each foot.  When we got it to the point where I could go out on an eight mile run and my hand count and prototypes consistently read within five steps, I knew we had something.  Just imagine that’s 10,850 steps.

Durability and longevity testing came next.  That consisted of attaching the Shoe Odometer to a machine that simulated the stresses of running and leaving it on for days around the clock.  This was one of the easiest steps in the process.  Prefect results first time through.

Then came figuring out the enclosure.  I was very naive and didn’t realize the difficulties in designing an enclosure that could be injection molded the way we needed it.  It had to be crazy strong to protect the electronics.  This was a hard time for me.  Each change was very expensive and there wasn’t a readily available solution.  In the end I’m very pleased with the enclosure we came up.

Now, the biggest and hardest problem so far, how to get people to find out about the Shoe Odometer.  For me it was all about “build it and they will come.”  Marketing and PR continue to be a significant roadblock.  The expense is immense.  Where to spend the dollars?  What’s the best value for the dollars?  These are ongoing problems that I continue to struggle with.  I know there are no easy answers, but steadily with a lot of effort, it’s all working itself out.  In the end I’m still a believer, if you build something that makes people’s lives a little easier and if there is any chance that it motivates people to get out there and get after it, HOW COOL IS THAT!