Pokemon GO is the latest mobile craze, attracting millions of users every day. It seems that some users will stop at nothing to catch every Pokemon they can. There are some tools available that will assist in finding Pokemon, such as Pokemon mapping apps, but they may have negative consequences due to the fact that they are not officially supported by the game. The Pokemon GO Plus is an official accessory that will alert users when Pokemon are nearby without them having to interact with their smartphones, however, it was delayed due to quality concerns and, at the time of this writing, has yet to be released. It appears, however, that this will not be the only accessory available to help find those hard-to-catch Pokemon.
The Vixole Matrix is a pair of smart shoes that will interact wirelessly with your mobile device, and will provide feedback that doesn’t require the user to remove their phone from their pocket. The shoes have 9 different sound and motion-responsive sensors in them, as well as a vibration motor that will provide alerts. This can be configured to alert the wearer when they are near a Pokemon, but it can also be used to provide feedback for alerts from other apps. So even those who don’t play Pokemon GO could benefit from the Matrix by using them as a means to receive notifications from their devices discretely. One of the most interesting aspects of these shoes, which is likely the feature from which they take their name, is the flexible matrix LED display that wraps around the back of the shoe. This is where style comes into play; the display is programmable, and can be customized to show just about any image the user chooses.
Unfortunately, at this point, the Vixole Matrix is only a concept and is not yet available for purchase. So as you may expect, no information is available regarding pricing or a release date. Vixole’s website doesn’t have any additional information on it, although they do have links to their pages on various social media websites and an option to sign up to receive more information when it becomes available. Vixole is planning to fund this project through Kickstarter beginning next month, so if you are interested in purchasing these shoes, keep your eye out for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign and any promotions they may offer to early adopters.