Empathetic Shoes

By Nike's operating definition I am an athlete because I too have a body. Since I learned very early in my life that I was not, I find that line particularly empowering. It took years of effort for me to overcome the mental barriers that had been in place for ever and feel like my body could do the physical things that are considered "athletic". I love the notion of a mind-body shoe that helps people get better at whatever physical activity they are engaged in. The way its done is ingenious. 

"..22 independent foam nodes per shoe that are bonded to a flexible, water-resistant material that allows them to act as pistons and gimbals as athletes move — imparting the feeling, and even the texture, of the ground directly beneath. This interaction heightens sensory awareness, which can help clear away distractions and enhance concentration."

I read this Nike story shortly after reading this article about experiments show that 

A groundbreaking experiment from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has rewritten the boundaries of neuroscience and empathy. In New York, researchers led by Chad Bouton created a “mind‑body connection” between two people, allowing a paralyzed man, Keith Thomas, to control and *feel through* another person’s hand.

Thomas, paralyzed from the chest down since a diving accident in 2020, already had a brain implant enabling him to move his own right hand by thought. In this new test, signals from his brain were routed through AI software to electrodes on a healthy volunteer’s forearm, making her hand move as he imagined movement. Force sensors on her fingers transmitted touch sensations back into Thomas’s brain, so that when she grasped a baseball or foam ball, he felt it, and could even tell the difference by hardness.

Researchers call this a step toward rehabilitation through shared neural control. It lets people with paralysis cooperate in physical therapy, strengthens muscles, and promotes emotional connection. One trial allowed Thomas to help another patient with paralysis, Kathy Denapoli, pick up a drink can using only thought, an act both found deeply motivating.

While accuracy is still limited (Thomas could distinguish objects by texture about 64 percent of the time), future improvements in electrode design could refine sensation and shape recognition. Beyond medicine, the technology hints at revolutionary possibilities, remote teamwork, sensory sharing, even long‑distance embodiment, but raises ethical concerns: who controls the body, who bears responsibility, and how deeply should humans merge minds?

As Bouton notes, “This may become a new way for people to connect on an entirely new level.” Yet with that promise comes a profound question: can empathy itself one day be wired?

The shoe story seemed to be a bit related to this, with the shoe-maker taking a more empathetic role to help the humans achieve goals that are connected to the use of those shoes.