Enrollment open to founders from anywhere in the world to participate in our next Media cohort

Apply Now
InnovationSpotlight

Susan Paley’s Making Beats for Sneakers

Image courtesy of Susan Paley

Yup, you read that title correctly. Susan Paley, the trailblazing founder & CEO of DropLabs, has pioneered the most progressive and technologically sophisticated sneakers to date. The EP 01 sneaker is the first haptic sneaker invented. That’s technology that will convert audio from your headphones into vibrations you feel from your feet upwards your body. Simultaneously changing two different industries, music & technology, this next-level innovation is making waves in the music, gaming, and even the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities!

Susan is the badass leader who’s spearheaded some of the most futuristic projects in the tech industry. She shook the music industry up years ago as the initial CEO of Beats by Dre. The Beats By Dre headphones became the #1 headphone brand worldwide under her leadership. Paley has also lead the development of “Beats Audio”, a proprietary audio enhancement technology, and had a senior leadership role with the Harman International Group, amongst other great accomplishments in her 20-year career in consumer technology.

Music, Media, Technology, and a Full Body Experience

DropLabs, one of the most novel companies at the moment, has engineered a new way to experience music. They’ve evolved the experience of sound! The EP 01 shoes can be used for music, movies, games and VR. There are different settings on the app for the perfect vibe depending on what you’re using the shoes for. For example, when used in gaming you’ll feel a full immersion as if you are inside the game as the vibrations of the game begin at the soles of your feet. A “personal sound system on-the-go“, the purpose of the sneakers is to change the experience of sound with sensory touch starting from the soles of your feet.

“It was like an awakening.”

– Antoine Hunter, Deaf Activist & Dancer

Paley’s company is a great example of technology bettering the world and positively impacting our lives. DropLabs is creating a community around its product. Most appreciable is the impact this immersive technology is having on the deaf community. The EP 01 sneakers provide better accessibility for deaf gamers, musicians, and dancers. From its inception, DropLabs has consulted with Antoine Hunter, a deaf activist and dancer, while creating the EP 01 sneakers so that members of the dead and HOH communities can benefit from this innovative sneaker.

“It heightens any sonic experience.”

– Bova, International DJ

Get to know Susan Paley

Paley has undoubtedly developed one of the coolest products (again!) on the market and we can’t wait to hear her chat with Ted Cohen next week. Come hang out with us on May 19th at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CST here.

Want more news about inspirational media tech leaders? Register to join our community!

Anahit Poturyan

Anahit Poturyan is a writer, art educator, and digital marketer based in LA with a strong focus on technology, research, history, and culture.She received her B.A. in English Literature and an Art History minor from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an M.A. in Aesthetics and Politics from the California Institute of Art (CalArts).She has worked at the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice, Italy; the 58th Venice Biennale, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Hammer Museum, Artbook @Hauser & Wirth, and Otis College of Art and Design. She has lectured at numerous conferences across the world, such as the Nordic Summer University in Faro, Sweden, and the Western University of Australia, Perth, Australia. Her writings have appeared in the LA Review of Books, MediaTech Ventures, Whitehot Magazine, among others.

Related Articles

5 Comments

Back to top button