Air Norban is a brand of shoes and athletic clothing designed, owned, and produced by the Norb Network. The shoes, informally referred to in the plural as Norbans or simply Ns, were first sold in 3267. While Air Norban encompasses a wide array of sportswear and equipment, the name has become synonymous with their line of footwear.
Air Norban shoes are designed to be among the most comfortable shoes in the galaxy. A micromesh controlled by an onboard computer responds to the shape of the wearer's foot, as well as current usage conditions, resulting in a continuously-shifting inner layer that optimizes impact protection, temperature and moisture control, odor mitigation, and health monitoring. In addition to accepting verbal and physical commands, they are capable of communicating with all personal electronic devices. The shoes are usable as corrective footwear, as the embedded sensors analyze the wearer's stance, automatically adjusting their shape to fix issues and prevent further damage to the foot.
Using a customizable gravitational adjustment system, the wearer can reduce or increase the power of the localized gravitational projectors in the shoes, allowing them to increase or decrease their perceived weight. This lets wearers train their muscles by increasing their weight, or enjoy increased air time by decreasing it.
The exterior of the shoes are optimized for "maximum coolness", with both physical and holographic appearances. The physical shoes are equipped with TRON (Transitional Radiation via Optical Neon) lines that give it a distinct visual style with a visible glow, which can be disabled to prevent unwanted notice. A simple holographic projector allows the shoes to take on any other appearance if desired. They are made out of a noise-resistant material to prevent any "squeaking" while playing.
The shoes can be set into "Competitive Mode" which locks out any gravitational or visual effects, making them suitable for use in regulation games.
Aimed at the high-end designer audience, Norbans are extremely expensive relative to competing products and sold in limited quantities. They are manufactured in the Quartus system on Odin, which is used as a marketing point. They are advertised as "The only shoes in the galaxy forged in the heart of an unreacted star".
Galactic Reception[]
Norbans are sold in the Verandi Empire, Confederate Principalities, Solar Republic, and the Levant. The arrival of the market in Earth was delayed for a decade due to claims of copyright infringement from a Mars-based company.