They’re not just self-lacing, these Smartshoes warm your toes, too

By Luke Dormehl Published May 31, 2017

There have been numerous attempts to bring a version of Marty McFly’s iconic self-lacing sneakers from 1989’s Back to the Future Part II to life over the years — including a pretty dope do-it-yourself effort.

However, French shoe startup Digitsole’s new Smartshoe stands as one of the most intriguing efforts yet.

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Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, it’s a pair of kicks that do nit just look like they come from the future but boast a plethora of smart features, ranging from auto-lacing functionality and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity for activity tracking to movement sensor-based health analytics and built-in heating pads.

“We don’t want to gadgetize footwear, we want to make the most of it,” Malik Issolah, the marketing manager for Digitsole, told Digital Trends. “We started by developing connected insoles, heating and tracking. Then our passion for footwear pushed us to create the craziest shoes. And what’s crazier than a shoe that works by itself? It started as a fun experiment, but then we realized this innovation could make a real change for people who struggle to put shoes on for various reasons. We thought it was high time we came up with a shoe that could meet most any people’s needs in terms of health monitoring. That’s why we included an auto-regulated heating system for comfort and blood circulation issues, a tracker to keep an eye on your activity, and finally a 3D analyzer to give you a full report of your health.”

As Issolah says, the idea of a shoe that can analyze the way and warn of possible injury risks, or even chronic disease, sounds crazy. However, if the team has pulled it off as well as they claim, this could be a real game-changer.

Right now, you can pre-order the Smartshoe on Kickstarter, with prices starting at $199 for a pair of shoes, premium shoebox, micro-USB cable, and user manual. Shipping is set to take place in December.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

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But shifting to personally owned self-driving cars is a much more complex challenge.
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