Adidas Tracking GMR Insoles: The World of Football Meets Gaming

Dario Tameu, Writer
@uxconnections

The new Adidas GMR technology aims to connect gaming and physical football worlds through insoles fitted with a smart tag made by Google.

This technology is powered by Google Jacquard’s chip, which can be placed inside a slot at the bottom of the insole.

The chip tracks players’ passes, shot power, distance, and speed on-pitch: complete GMR’s weekly challenges and you’ll unlock rewards in FIFA Mobile to upgrade your Ultimate Team.

To do so you need to download the Adidas GMR app available on both Android and IOS. Through the app, real-life performance will be connected to your FIFA Mobile Ultimate Team, this means the more you play in real life, the more your Ultimate Team is going to improve. 

The smart tag hence understands what you do on the pitch and merges this into the FIFA Mobile gaming experience, giving you access to exclusive content, allowing you to increase your Team OVR, and earn points in the leaderboard.

There is just one of these tags provided and it should be placed inside of your dominant foot insole. The chip contains multiple components, such as accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors, commonly found in phones, smartwatches, and sports watches.

There’s also a small processing brain that uses Google’s artificial intelligence expertise to recognise the different football movements. This tech is similar to what Google has already put inside denim jackets made by Levi’s and a YSL backpack with connected features.

The chip should last for three 90-minute matches before you’ll need to charge it again.

There are still a few improvements that can be made to the product. So far it is only possible to engage with the tracked data through the FIFA Mobile game, holding back the potential of this technology to a limited, specific purpose and audience.

Making the data universally accessible would be a significant step forward, which could also result in broadening the audience and increase sales.

In conclusion, Adidas GMR is a sign of the progressive approach of two apparently distant worlds, and with them, two different experiences. One is physical, the second is digital.

Adidas GMR is available directly from the Adidas website. From now on, every step you make could be twice as important, as each footprint is directly mirrored in a digital world.

UX Connections, the UX agency with UX/UI consultants to help your digital product succeed.