Digitsole Smartshoes: the Back to the Future style intelligent shoes

Digitsole is no stranger when it comes to intelligent footwear. Its Warm Series (view on Amazon) ensures you never have cold feet again, while its Run Profiler insoles keep tabs on your running technique. The company is putting all this and more into one package now in the form of a fully intelligent shoe.

Launched on Kickstarter a couple of weeks ago, Digitsole Smartshoes promise a lot. The design includes a self lacing function which allows users to tighten and un-tighten without bending over, temperature regulation with heating, and more. All this is housed in ultra-light, premium leather and Neotech EVA.

The functions are controlled via the accompanying smartphone app. For example, with a single tap on the screen the heating function can be activated and the temperature adjusted for each shoe separately. Thanks to the built-in thermostat, you control the temperature inside your shoes as you would do in your house or car. When the shoe reaches its desired temperature, the heating turns off, preserving battery life.

Essential reading: Smart shoes – tracking fitness through your feet

There are also some more standard functions. The built-in accelerometer keeps a count of the number of steps, distance walked and calories burned thus turning them in a reliable pedometer. With activity sensors located in the shoe, theoretically you should get more accurate data than from wrist worn fitness trackers.

Furthermore, the shoes look at the 3D position of your feet and the characteristics of your strides. They will detect and measure your pronation, supination, propulsion levels, impact force, fatigue and posture. Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity enables personalized coaching recommendations on improving walking efficiency, decreasing fatigue, and reducing injury.

The IP66 water and dust resistant shoes enjoy a battery life of between 1 and 3 days, depending on usage. The battery is recharged with a wireless system located on the side of the shoe using a sleek charging pod.

This is certainly an ambitious project. While the futuristic looking shoes may not be to everyone’s taste, they certainly pack a lot of functionality.

Price:$199 and up

Funding open:
$98,019 pledged of $50,000 goal
16 days left

Estimated delivery: December 2017

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