Asics has bought a stake in No New Folk Studio. Asics jointly with No New Folk Studio is developing smart running shoes that give runners real time feedbacks on the changes in their foot movement. Foot movement data, including number of steps /distance, cadence, and angle of ground contact, are collected and together with biomechanics expertise are analyzed to provide runners feedbacks on gait analysis, including step length and foot strike pattern.

Asics is a footwear and sports equipment group from Japan. No New Folk specializes in the design of artificial intelligence applied to sports shoes. No New Folk Studio develops IoT interface that seamlessly integrates movement, light, and sound to facilitate new forms of art and performance. No New Folk was founded in 2014 and has previously worked with Asics on different projects. The companies have developed smart shoes to measure the shape of the footprint and the movement of the foot while exercising or walking. One of the core strategies of Asics is enriching sports lives through the use of digital technology, and the company is focusing on improving the sense of fulfillment customers get from sports by using digital power. The investment in No New Folk Studio is part of that strategy.