At a 2018 tech exhibition in Lagos, a young man shared his idea for smart running shoes that could communicate with your phone using an app. But it looks like ideas are not in isolation because, somewhere in South Korea, Samsung was already working on its own patent.

Samsung C&T Corporation has registered two designs for its smart running shoe patent. The patent consists of a running shoe with a sensor on the external side of the heel counter. Samsung made this known at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2019.

According to the patent, the smart shoes can be activated in one or two techniques. One could pull the tab located on the back of the shoe or use the buttons hidden behind a cover.

The new patent hints that Samsung might be working on a new line of smart running shoes and will likely be working in collaboration with a shoemaker.

The smart shoes will be made from leather and synthetic material. They will most likely have sensors and a smartphone app to support the wearable device and connect it to other Samsung devices.

At the Olympic winter games in 2018, Samsung showcased its brand of smart suits made to help athletes train. Also, in 2017, Samsung launched shoes for golf players.

Samsung has recently taken some liking for smart clothing. It has been busy trying to build an ecosystem of connected devices for some time.

The new patent explains that the running shoes are not just for professional athletes but also for casual runners. However, the patent does not provide too much information about the smart side of the shoes.

All that’s been revealed so far is that the sensor will activate some smart features aimed at improving running performance.