Digitsole's self-lacing, -warming smart shoes out this December

Nearly two years after it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the world's first self-lacing and temperature-regulating smart shoes are now set to come to fruition.

France-based Digitsole, the company behind the eponymous sneakers, has launched recently a Kickstarter campaign, which smashed its initial target of $50,000 in just a week. Currently, the crowdfunding project has already raised almost $70,000 with about a month to go.

The app-enabled footwear still comes with the auto-lacing functionality it was first advertised and has built-in heating pads that warms the feet up to 45 C.

Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity allows activity tracking and movement-based health analytics, providing real-time feedback via the user’s smartphone.

The uppers are made of ultralight leather uppers while the outsoles adopt Neotech EVA. The sneakers come in US men's and women's sizes, and have IP66 dust- and water-resistance rating. The shoes last two weeks on a full-charge if the heating function is not utilized, otherwise battery life is between six and eight hours.

Last year, sportswear giant Nike released the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, its first-ever self-lacing kicks that use the company's adaptive lacing system, allowing the shoes to adjust to the wearer's foot shape and weight distribution. The system works by using a network of internal cables made of fishing line and pressure sensors at the soles. Nike's version, however, does not have the smart features present in the Digitsole Smartshoe.

The Digitsole Smartshoe can be preordered in Kickstarter at the discounted price of $199, 66 percent off the expected retail price of $599. Estimated delivery is December 2017.