How-To: LED Sneakers

Hot Topics:

By Becky Stern
Posted 2010/10/07 @ 9:28 am
Category Electronics

Will Cruz likes jogging against traffic at night, but wishes cars could see him better. With the help of some super bright LED strips and a couple 9V batteries, he made these LED sneakers and shows you how, too.

In the Maker Shed

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi

Makey Makey Standard Kit

Telegraph Decoder Kit by Spikenzie Labs

Make: Getting Started with Soldering Kit

6 Responses to How-To: LED Sneakers

NeuroPulse on October 7th, 2010 at 11:43 am said:

Cool. I wish they went on and off with each step.

Reply ↓
Derryl Cocks on October 7th, 2010 at 12:11 pm said:

The leds look great!

I think it would be easier on the batteries to add a 555 timer chip in the circuit to make the leds flash. Can anyone suggest how to do this?

For added safety I’d also like to suggest a strip at the rear as well – maybe distribute half of the leds to the front and half to the rear.

Reply ↓
Silverman on October 7th, 2010 at 12:24 pm said:

With or without lights, running in the street is often illegal. And it’s always dangerous for the runner and for cyclists, on whose legally-sanctioned strip of road runners often misappropriate. Please stop.

Reply ↓
- Becky Stern on October 7th, 2010 at 12:32 pm said:
  
  In some parts of Manhattan, specifically along the West Side Highway, there’s a shared pedestrian/skater/bike lane where these would come in super handy, as they have the cyclists/rollerbladers facing opposite the cyclists. I agree runners shouldn’t run in the bike lane, but that doesn’t make this project any less cool. =]
  
  Reply ↓
Jerry Adlersfluegel on October 7th, 2010 at 1:31 pm said:

Put some red tail lights on there, and it’s complete!

Reply ↓
MadRat on October 10th, 2010 at 12:57 pm said:

I wonder how you could make a slip on version so you could put LEDs on any shoe and save the LEDs when the shoes get worn out. You could add an elastic band that wrapped around the back of the shoe and that might hold it on.

Reply ↓