I get cold toes. I mean really, really cold toes. So cold they turn white. There are products built to address this issue, like battery-powered socks. But battery-powered socks require wearing a battery pack and dealing with things like power cables running up your leg. The Digitsole smart insoles on Kickstarter want to warm your toes in a much more elegant fashion.
On the surface, Digitsole insoles look like any other insole, but when you inspect the back, you'll notice a USB connector and on/off switch. The insoles contain heating elements and batteries designed to take the chill out of your feet, essentially turning your shoes into a couple of portable mini dry saunas.
Left foot colder than your right foot? No problem. Digitsole works in conjunction with an app that lets you make detailed temperature adjustments for each foot. The temperature maxes out at 104 degrees Fahrenheit for safety.
Digitsole also aspires to be a fitness gadget by tracking your distances covered and calories burned, but most buyers will want it mainly for the heating functions. The battery is built into the sole itself and is recharged via USB. It can last for between seven hours and several days, depending on usage. If you set your feet to deep-fry, it will go through the battery faster than warming up your toes a little bit here and there.
Digitsole just launched on Kickstarter and is shooting for a $40,000 goal with two months to go. The standard pledge price for a Digitsole setup is $149, though $99 early-bird pledges are still available as of the time of writing.
Cold toes can be just an inconvenience, or they can be a constant challenge faced by people with conditions like Raynaud's phenomenon. Ever-bulkier socks and thicker shoes can only go so far in fixing the issue. The Digitsole could easily find its place as a sleeker, higher-tech alternative to other methods already on the market. Plus, there's something kind of nifty about controlling your foot temperature with your smartphone.