These sneakers vibrate November 13, 2019 The EP 01 is a slightly chunky sneaker that’s equipped with Bluetooth, a speaker-grade transducer and a power source to sync with almost any audio. As a movie or music or video game plays, the sneaker picks up the audio and sends it as a perfectly synced vibration right to the soles of your feet. T he vibrations are slightly directional. Noise that’s coming from the right vibrates on the right, and vice versa, which can be particularly impactful while playing video games. Indeed, Paley sees gaming as a huge opportunity to enter the market. Audio, and particularly good directional audio, is incredibly important for gamers who compete at a high level. DropLabs has an opportunity to market to gamers, offering a more immersive experience across their games and potentially even a competitive advantage. Paley explained that the brain actually functions at a higher level when three or more of the senses are engaged. For this reason, Paley sees a huge potential to target gamers as an early demographic , particularly big-name streamers and gaming influencers. But the EP 01 have challenges ahead. For one, the shoes cost upwards of $500. It’s a mighty high price point for a gadget that most folks will need to try before they feel committed to buying. “Whenever you create a new category and a new product, you have the challenge of asking consumers to change their behavior,” said Paley. “And this, in particular, is so visceral. How do you communicate viscerally what is an emotional experience? You can talk about it, but it’s very different to put someone in the shoe.” The EP 01 must also find their place in a category that’s defined by fashion and personal style. Our shoes say something about us, and for now, the EP 01 comes in one style and one color (black). It’s as universal a shoe as it can be, considering all the electronics packed in there, but it doesn’t leave customers many options to change up their own look.