Tech fans the world over had hungered for self-lacing shoes ever since Marty McFly sported the Nike Air Mag in "Back to the Future" in 1989. They then began to salivate during "Back to the Future" day last October when Nike, in a teaser with Michael J. Fox, revealed that not only were these self-lacing shoes possible, but they would be something that consumers could buy in the future.
It turns out that the future has finally arrived, as Nike unveiled during the Nike Innovation Summit the HyperAdapt 1.0, the world's first self-lacing shoe. This means that through Nike's adaptive lacing technology, other Nike lines such as Air Jordans or Air Max will soon be able to tie themselves.
How do these wondrous shoes work? Rather than the traditional lacing setup you would see on regular sneakers, these shoes utilize a battery-powered series of pulleys that cinch the throat of the shoe. Once the user places his or her foot inside the shoe, it will tighten based on his or her weight and the position of the foot inside. In addition, the shoes can tighten or loosen based on the user's preferences via two buttons on the left side of the shoe. The button marked with a "plus" sign will tighten the shoe, while the one marked with a "negative" sign will loosen it, holding that particular button for two seconds will allow the shoe to be removed completely.
Nike notes that these shoes are fully adaptable, hence the name HyperAdapt. After several wears, the shoes will automatically adjust to your preferred setting, reducing the time a user needs to spend modifying its settings. Similarly, like the "1.0" designation suggests, the team is already looking for ways to improve the technology in order to eventually be adapted to create a hyper-personalized platform. Nike declined to go into detail about the subject but curiously mentioned the term "adaptable, reactive ecosystem" of Nike wearables - meaning clothes.
While self-lacing shoes will be an amazing asset for almost anyone, they do come with some downsides. Whereas you'd never had to worry about traditonal laces ever running out of juice or malfunctioning, the same can't be said for the HyperAdapt 1.0. Nike didn't make any mention about the chance of the laces malfunctioning during a critical moment - but that should be given due to the nature of technology. On the other hand, Nike revealed that the shoe's battery lasts for two weeks on one charge. meaning that you'll actually have to charge your shoes.
So when do these wondrous shoes come out? Nike says they'll debut sometime during the 2016 holiday season in three different colors. Their pricing hasn't been revealed, but it might not matter for most since they'll only be available to members of Nike+, Nike's all-in-one product and events app.
Check out the trailer for the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 below:
