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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Do these units transmit to a satellite or
to a cell phone tower???</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Engineer: GPS shoes make people findable By
KELLI KENNEDY, <BR>Associated Press Writer<BR>Fri Feb 9, 12:45 PM
ET<BR><BR><BR>Isaac Daniel calls the tiny Global Positioning System chip he's
<BR>embedded into a line of sneakers "peace of mind." He wishes his
8-<BR>year-old son had been wearing them when he got a call from his <BR>school
in 2002 saying the boy was missing. The worried father hopped <BR>a flight to
Atlanta from New York where he had been on business to <BR>find the incident had
been a miscommunication and his son was safe.<BR><BR>Days later, the engineer
started working on a prototype of Quantum <BR>Satellite Technology, a line of
$325 to $350 adult sneakers that hit <BR>shelves next month. It promises to
locate the wearer anywhere in the <BR>world with the press of a button. A
children's line will be out this <BR>summer.<BR><BR>"We call it a second eye
watching over you," Daniel said.<BR><BR>It's the latest implementation of
satellite-based navigation into <BR>everyday life — technology that can be found
in everything from cell <BR>phones that help keep kids away from sexual
predators to fitness <BR>watches that track heart rate and distance. Shoes
aren't as easy to <BR>lose, unlike phones, watches and bracelets.<BR><BR>The
sneakers work when the wearer presses a button on the shoe to <BR>activate the
GPS. A wireless alert detailing the location is sent to <BR>a 24-hour monitoring
service that costs an additional $19.95 a month.<BR><BR>In some emergencies —
such as lost child or Alzheimer's patient — a <BR>parent, spouse or guardian can
call the monitoring service, and <BR>operators can activate the GPS remotely and
alert authorities if the <BR>caller can provide the correct password.<BR><BR>But
the shoe is not meant for non-emergencies — like to find out if <BR>a teen is
really at the library or a spouse is really on a business <BR>trip. If
authorities are called and it is not an emergency, the <BR>wearer will incur all
law enforcement costs, Daniel said.<BR><BR>Once the button is pressed, the shoe
will transmit information until <BR>the battery runs out.<BR><BR>While other GPS
gadgets often yield spotty results, Daniel says his <BR>company has spent
millions of dollars and nearly two years of <BR>research to guarantee accuracy.
The shoe's 2-inch-by-3-<WBR>inch chip is <BR>tucked into the bottom of the
shoe.<BR><BR>Experts say GPS accuracy often depends on how many satellites the
<BR>system can tap into. Daniel's shoe and most GPS devices on the <BR>market
rely on four.<BR><BR>"The technology is improving regularly. It's to the point
where you <BR>can get fairly good reflection even in areas with a lot of tree
<BR>coverage and skyscrapers,<WBR>" said Jessica Myers, a spokeswoman for
<BR>Garmin International Inc., a leader in GPS technology based in <BR>Kansas.
"You still need a pretty clear view of the sky to work
<BR>effectively.<WBR>"<BR><BR>Daniel, who wears the shoes when he runs every
morning, says he <BR>tested the shoes on a recent trip to New Jersey. It tracked
him down <BR>the Atlantic Coast to the Miami airport and through the city to a
<BR>specific building.<BR><BR>The company also has put the technology into
military boots and is <BR>in talks with Colombia and Ecuador, he
said.<BR><BR>But retail experts say the shoe might be a tough sale to
brand-<BR>conscious kids.<BR><BR>"If (parents) can get their kids to wear them,
then certainly there <BR>is a marketplace. But I think the biggest challenge is
<BR>overcoming ... the cool marketplace,<WBR>" said Lee Diercks, managing
<BR>director of New Jersey-based Clear Thinking Group, an advisory firm <BR>for
retailers.<BR><BR>The GPS sneakers, available in six designs, resemble most
other <BR>running shoes. The two silver buttons — one to activate and one to
<BR>cancel — are inconspicuous near the shoelaces.<BR><BR>The company is selling
1,000 limited-edition shoes online and <BR>already has orders for 750, Daniel
said.<BR><BR>Parents who buy the pricey kicks don't have to worry about their
<BR>kids outgrowing them fast. This fall, the company is unveiling a
<BR>plug-and-wear version that allows wearers to remove the electronics
<BR>module from their old shoes and plug it into another pair of <BR>Daniel's
sneaks. <BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin Deckert, VE7WHK<BR>Emergency Coordinator
<BR>Wells Gray Country ARES<BR><A
href="mailto:ve7whk@rac.ca">ve7whk@rac.ca</A><BR><A
href="http://www.wellsgraycountry.ca">www.wellsgraycountry.ca</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>