These high-tech socks protect your feet like shoes | Digital Trends (2024)

As the anti-shoemovement continues to gain steam, there’s been a corresponding flood of minimalist, barely-there footwear hitting the market lately. Those dorky Vibram toe shoes are everywhere these days, Nike’s new running shoes weigh practically nothing anymore, and there are dozens of other brands with their own take on the idea.

The latest entry into this burgeoning category is FYF— a unique new kind of footwear from Swiss Barefoot Company. Rather than lightweight shoes, FYF socks(short for Free Your Feet)are morelike space-agewool socks with toughened soles. You know those cut-proofgloves that havestretchy sock-like material on the back, but texturized rubber dots on the palm? FYFs are almost the exactly same thing, but made for your feet instead of your hands.

Just like those aforementioned cut-proof gloves, FYFsare made from a specially-engineered type of wool that makes them much tougher than your average sock. The fibers of the sock are spun with a material called Dyneema (which you’ve likely used before whether or not you were aware of it). In addition to boastinga higher tensile strength than braided steel, it’s also abrasion-resistant, hydrophobic, flexible, and incredibly lightweight. This makes it ideal for use on your feet, as it can bend and flex like a sock, but still provide protection from things like sticks, thorns, and sharp rocks.

This isn’t the first sock that Swiss Barefoot company has made, either. FYFs are actually an evolution of the Swiss Protection Sock — the company’s inaugural product, made from a blend of Kevlar, polyester, and laminated PVC soles. The new models improve on this original idea with the addition of Dyneema, which hasproperties that are better suited for footwear applications.

FYF socks aren’t ready for primetime quite yet, but the folks at Swiss Barefoot Company have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production. The project has already surpassed its modest $10K goal (and is currently sitting at just over $75K), so if you back the campaign now and lock down a pair of FYF socks, it’s a fairly safe bet that they’ll arrive on your door this fall. Barring any setbacksin manufacturing, Swiss Barefoot Company expects to ship the first orders in October.

These high-tech socks protect your feet like shoes | Digital Trends (2)

EV owners worried about getting stranded before their next charge may breathe a bit easier now: The Tesla Supercharger network has resumed its expansion over the last three months, after massive layoffs at Tesla had led to a slide in new stalls earlier this year.Tesla opened 2,800 new Supercharger stalls globally during the three-month period ending September 30, an increase of 23% from the year earlier, according to the company’s official Tesla Charging account on X (formerly Twitter).Tesla also delivered 1.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy during the third quarter, which translates to 27% year-over-year growth. The Tesla Charging account said the amount of energy delivered enabled Tesla owners to save over 150 million gallons of gasoline, offsetting more than 3 billion pounds of CO2.According to the website Supercharge.info, which relies on user contributions to track the opening of new stalls, there were 2,677 Supercharger stations in North America at the end of September, 125 more than at the end of the third quarter.The additions of new stalls, however, comes in the wake of a 31% slide in the second quarter, after a massive round of firings at the company removed 500 employees from the Supercharger team in April.The third-quarter expansion should still go some ways to appease the concerns of Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) owners, as EV manufacturers are lining up in droves to be able to use the Supercharger network.In September, General Motors electric vehicles made by Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac joined the growing listof vehicles to have adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). The network already allows access, via adapters, to EVs made by Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo. The likes of Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and Jaguar have also signed agreements to start allowing access in 2025.
The Tesla map of Superchargersacross the U.S. reveals they are concentrated in major cities and across East-West transit corridors.According to Tesla, a Supercharger can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.

Read more

  • Mobile

The best hurricane trackers for Android and iOS in 2024

These high-tech socks protect your feet like shoes | Digital Trends (3)

The hurricane season instills fear in those who find themselves in the paths of these storms, and in their loved ones who are concerned for their safety. A hurricane app is essential if you’ve stayed up all night worrying about a family member who's alone during a destructive storm.

Many hurricane trackers are available to help you prepare for these dangerous events, monitor their progress, and assist in recovery. We’ve compiled a list of the best apps for tracking storms, predicting their paths, and providing on-the-ground suggetsions for shelters and emergency services. Most of these apps are free to download and supported by ads. Premium versions are available to remove ads and add extra features.

Read more

  • Cars

Nissan joins ChargeScape, a way for EV owners to sell watts back to the grid

These high-tech socks protect your feet like shoes | Digital Trends (4)

EV owners already enjoy the benefits of knowing their vehicle is charging up quietly while they sleep. Now they can dream about how much money they can make in the process.That’s the bet Nissan is making by joining ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda.ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects electric vehicles to power grids and utility companies. When connected with ChargeScape's platform, EV drivers can receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. ChargeScape says they will eventually also be able to sell the energy stored in their vehicle's battery back to the power grid.
A 2021 study by the University of Rochester found that EV owners could save up to $150 a year by using V2G technology. But the technology has evolved in recent years. V2G company Fermata Energy says that in some circumstances, a customer using its bi-directional charger was able to save $187.50 in 15 minutes by drawing energy from a Nissan LEAF to avoid costly demand charges.
Nissan intends to roll out the ChargeScape technology to its EV drivers across the U.S. and Canada. The company says the move is of particular significance given its U.S. sales of 650,000 Leaf models, one of the first EVs with the capability to export power back to the grid.ChargeScape, which launched in September, is equally owned by BMW, Ford, Honda, and now Nissan. But it expects other automakers to join the party.In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. The project comes at a time when EV sales and infrastructure growth are ramping up quickly, along with challenges for the electric grid. Simply put, more EVs on the road means more demand on utilities to provide the needed power.At the same time, more and more EV makers seek to incorporate automotive software that provide advanced driver aids and other connected features. With vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology quickly spreading, ChargeScape is entering a landscape where competitors such as ChargePoint, Electrify America, Fermata Energy, and BP Pulse are already vying for a piece of the action.
But there is one good reason for ChargeScape to move in now: Tesla, which otherwise dominates the field in the U.S., has so far backed off from embracing V2G technology, focusing instead on its Powerwall home-battery solution to store solar energy and provide backup power. However, CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.

Read more

These high-tech socks protect your feet like shoes | Digital Trends (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Terrell Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6409

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Terrell Hackett

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Suite 453 459 Gibson Squares, East Adriane, AK 71925-5692

Phone: +21811810803470

Job: Chief Representative

Hobby: Board games, Rock climbing, Ghost hunting, Origami, Kabaddi, Mushroom hunting, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.