Global – Adidas, Jacquard by Google and EA Sports have introduced an innovative insole that enables football players to affect their virtual gaming performance through real-world play.
The Adidas GMR concept amalgamates Google’s advanced machine learning algorithms with a smart shoe insole that detects physical movement. As footballers move, their on-pitch technique – including kicks, shot power, distance and speed – is recognised and documented by EA Sports’ FIFA Mobile gaming platform.
FIFA Mobile allows players to complete challenges and milestones through their performance, encouraging them to unlock in-game rewards and rank in global leader boards. In this way, Adidas GMR encourages users to play more football in real life in order to boost their fitness while enhancing their digital gaming experience. ‘Adidas GMR lives at the intersection of gaming and the material world because that’s where the audience is,’ says Moritz Kloetzner, director of business development at Adidas Football.
With physical sports increasingly blurring with digital or gamified experiences, both brands and sporting bodies are providing football innovations for fans, from wearables to virtual experiences.