Thirty years ago, the second installment in the "Back to the Future" trilogy imagined what Oct. 21, 2015 might look like. It included self-lacing sneakers worn by Martin Seamus McFly. Now, that particular figment of imagination has been turned into reality, as Nike unveiled Wednesday the very same sneakers, a pair of which was sent to Michael J. Fox, who played Marty in the film.
The Nike Mag shoes features an innovation called "power laces," which combines the archetype invention with digital technology. This led to a responsive system that senses the wearer's movement to provide adaptive on-demand comfort and support, Nike said in an official statement.
"We started creating something for fiction and we turned it into fact, inventing a new technology that will benefit all athletes," Nike President and CEO Mark Parker said.
Fox, for his part, received the Mag sneakers with a letter that he promptly posted on his Twitter account. "As the first, most celebrated wearer of the Nike Air Mag, we wanted you to be the first to receive a living pair," the post said. "Although the project started as science fiction, we're now proud to turn that fiction into fact."
Michael J. Fox models the first self-lacing @Nike Mag pic.twitter.com/bgPWM5CKBE
— michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) October 21, 2015
For those who wonder about its actual application or appeal besides the futuristic gimmick or the bragging rights that come in owning a real pair of "Marty McFly" shoes, the self-lacing sneakers could actually be helpful for people with disabilities.
Pricing is not yet available, but it will certainly hit the stores in 2016. However, fans who cannot wait can bid for Fox's pair, because it will be auctioned off to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, according to Engadget.
