Okay, so I got this wild idea the other day – what if I could put a little tracking chip in my shoes? I lose everything, keys, wallet, you name it. Shoes, though? I always know where those are (unless I’ve had a really good night). So, I thought, why not?
First, I needed some tiny chips. I grabbed some basic RFID tags. nothing fancy, just the smallest and cheapest I find.
Next up, the shoes. I didn’t want to ruin my good sneakers, so I grabbed an old pair of running shoes that were about ready for retirement anyway. Time for some surgery!
Disassembly Time!
I carefully started peeling back the insole. It was glued down pretty good, but I managed to get it loose without ripping it too much. Then, I found a nice little pocket of space in the heel area – perfect for hiding my little chip.
- Step 1: Peel back insole.
- Step 2: Find a hiding spot.
- Step 3: ???
- Step 4: Profit! (maybe)
I used a bit of tape to secure the RFID tag inside the heel cavity. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t rattle around or shift while I was walking. I didn’t want it fall out, but didn’t fix it in too solid just in case I need to take it out to fix it in the future.
With the chip in place, I carefully glued the insole back down. Good as new! Well, almost. You could barely tell I’d messed with it, unless you were really looking for it.
The Test
I set the tag, walk around my house, and test it. Work like a charm! I could follow them on a map, see where they’d been, and – most importantly – find them if I ever “lost” them (aka, kicked them under the couch).
Honestly, it was a pretty silly project. I get what I want, and I probably won’t ever actually lose my shoes in a way that requires a tracking chip. But it was fun to tinker, and hey, who knows? Maybe this will save me from a frantic search someday. At the very least, I learned a little bit about how shoes are put together!
