Impakto Navigator Hardcore Smart Shoes - Smart shoes with gesture controls, SOS and step tracking

Impakto Navigator are smart shoes with built-in sensors and Bluetooth, from Indian athleisure brand Impakto. They pair with the Impakto app for fitness tracking, foot gestures and safety alerts.

Problem: Fitness trackers and phones need your hands, and neither is much use in the moments you can’t reach them, like mid-run, with your hands full, or after a fall. That’s my framing, not Impakto’s wording.

Solution: Put the sensors in the shoes. Navigator tracks your steps, distance, calories and pace, and lets you control your phone with foot movements, so you don’t have to touch it.

What makes it different: Gestures and safety live in the shoe itself. Per Impakto, lifting a heel or toe to a set angle triggers an action you’ve chosen, and an SOS gesture or automatic fall detection can text your emergency contacts.

Key features:

• Step, distance and calorie tracking, live pace and GPS route tracking (Impakto says its step counter was tested at 99.9% accuracy, with no test details)

• Heel and toe gestures that can play music, answer calls, take photos, turn on the torch or find your phone

• Speed dial for up to 4 contacts

• SOS gesture and automatic fall detection, with SMS alerts to up to 4 emergency contacts

• Haptic recovery modes to relax muscles after a workout

• Battery of up to 10 to 12 days depending on use, per the FAQ, with a magnetic charger

• Handles light rain and sweat, but not submersion

Who it’s for: People who run or walk a lot and want hands-free phone controls, and families or solo walkers who want a safety backup.