Any privacy-intruding piece of technology can be pretty controversial because it can be used for good as well as bad (take the entire Facebook clusterf*** as the biggest example). The pLaces (clever name alert) are shoe-laces with a GPS tracker embedded in them. Aside from helping you find your shoes if you’re the kind to lose them, the laces were created to help you get away from the addictive world of technology… but not wander to a point of no-return.
The pLaces come with a kevlar and carbon-fiber construction. Designed to be absolutely unbreakable, the shoelaces are the perfect partner on one of those crazy off-the-grid treks or trails. The GPS chip inside pairs with your phone and connects to the pLaces application, allowing you to track or bookmark your travels or share your route/location with others. The GPS-enabled laces can charge wirelessly via the pLaces clip charger, and works with any shoe. It also comes with a 4-week battery life.
The fact that you, the wearer, send your location to others makes it less of a privacy-breach-nightmare. With the ability to track the laces across 166 countries (practically the entire world), the pLaces can be a literal life-saver, allowing people to reach you if something untoward were to happen. Now if only they had an SOS function too…
Designer: Honza, Oxana, Goran Kruhonja & Salman Abdulnabi.
