MIT startup Striv has developed tactile sensing technology that inserts into shoes, effectively tracking force, movement, and form via algorithms that interpret tactile data. The developer, Axl Chen, initially applied his work in a virtual reality gaming context but pivoted to athletics, and several professional athletes, including US marathoner Clayton Young and Olympian Damar Forbes, have utilized Striv’s device and praised its potential to enhance training and injury prevention.
The technology was incubated in the START.nano accelerator program, which facilitates access to advanced laboratories and equipment. Striv’s device consists of two layers of flexible electrodes separated by material which changes its electrical characteristics under pressure, effectively mapping force application. The ongoing enhancements to the technology include improving the durability and precision of the sensing components, and building AI algorithms which utilize the sensor data to infer full body motion.
Having tested the product on approximately 50 professional athletes, Chen plans to extend usage to serious non-professional runners, believing that the insights the device provides regarding form and force application will be invaluable in improving performance and injury avoidance. Chen sees potential applications for the technology across a variety of sports, and hopes to provide personalized improvement plans across a multitude of activities in the future.
Despite interest from the medical, robotics, and automotive sectors, Chen asserts that the company’s immediate focus is fully on the athlete market. Chen sees the Paris 2024 Olympics as an opportunity to demonstrate the product’s benefits at the highest level. Post-Olympics, Chen’s broader plan is to offer the product to the public, enabling everyday users to gain the sort of insights currently the preserve of professional athletes. Striv’s insertion into the athletic market is an example of the burgeoning presence of innovative technology in shaping the future of sports training and sports science.
