MABEL bipedal robot wears a pair of sneakers

The team over at the University of Michigan did come up with a dynamically stable biped known as MABEL, where it boasts of a foot mechanism that would marvel most folks, considering this robot exhibits a natural heel-strike, rolling, and toe-off when it is in its element, walking about. In the video after the jump, you would find that MABEL, just like the rest of us, has fallen into the trap of slick marketing and would love to wear a pair of sneakers to fit into society without being looked upon like a pariah. Will we see sponsorships from sport brands in the future when robots play a more central role in our lives?