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In last Thursday’s IS 6100 class, I mentioned that some graduate students at the University of Washington who had tested an exploit to track Nike+ devices. Wired mentioned that exploit on November 30. Nike+ devices are small bean sized sensors that can be placed inside or on a shoe. As the wearer walks or runs, the devices relay speed and distance data to a wireless sensor that the user snaps onto an Apple iPod Nano. The students set up a network of wireless receivers that can track and record data from any Nike+ device within range.

The UW hack was easy to implement because Nike+ devices transmit unencrypted data. Several web sites have popped up to discuss how users can hack the data recorded by their Nike+ device, including Runometer, a web mashup site that combines Nike+ and GPS data with Google maps. The site was mentioned by Engadget last month.

The Nike+ device is just an RFID device that uses a wireless connection to relay data from the shoe to an iPod. After the run, the user can upload the data to a slow, Flash-based Nike web site for further analysis. This site is a good example of how customers can extract more value from a product or service.

Kelli Kennedy of the AP reports that a company will market GPS-equipped sneakers. Isaac Daniel developed the shoes after his son was reporting missing for a few hours.

The Compass Global shoe has two buttons - one to activate the GPS transmitter in the sole, and one to cancel. The cancel button is important, as the GPS device is meant for use in an emergency. One the activate button is pressed, the shoe will find its position using up to 4 GPS satellites, and then transmit the location and other data to a monitoring service. The beacon will run about 6 hoursQuantum Satellite Technology charges a US$20 monthly subscription fee for the tracking service. 

Like any GPS device, the shoe requires a clear view of the sky in order to find the GPS satellites. The shoe can tell when a person has entered a building or a tunnel, but won’t know where that person is in that structure.

Men’s and women’s sizes are available. The shoes look like ordinary US$350 shoes. A children’s line is coming this summer, including non-GPS shoes that can communicate with video game consoles. There are military applications, of course, and the company is already putting the devices in military boots for potential sales to Ecuador and Colombia.

Tech: Yahoo! News - iPod Alternatives Shaking Up Market: “In August, the companies plan to start selling the $299 MP3Run PSA260 player, which measures the duration and pace of your workout. The disc-shaped MP3Run comes with a separate dongle device that tracks the speed and distance of your run and sends the information wirelessly to the player. Runners, who clip the dongle to their sneakers, can receive audio alerts. ‘You have your own coach with you in the product,’ said Levitan, who also pointed out other runner-centric features like a flashing strobe and the ability to operate it without having to look at it…

Samsung began selling the $230 YP-60 player, no larger than two packs of chewing gum, that also comes with a heart monitor and a calorie counter. Like the upcoming Nike player, Samsung’s lets users upload workout data onto a home computer as a way to keep closer tabs on fitness progress.”