Since seeing it in Back to the Future II, movie loving sneaker heads have dreamt of a day when self lacing sneakers will become reality. And thanks to Nike, the day has finally come. The sports company has just announced its self-lacing trainers a bit like the ones worn by the fictional character Marty McFly. The US firm posted a video to Twitter showing a basketball player, testing out the shows on the court.
https://twitter.com/Nike/status/1085182211010134016?s=19
From the video, the ‘magic shoes’ will automatically loosen or tighten when you step into them, and then adapt based on your activity.
Dubbed the Nike Adapt BB shoes, the futuristic sneakers will go on sale on February 17 for $350 in the United States. The sneakers are controlled by the touch of a button or a smartphone app.
“We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes,” Eric Avar, Nike VP creative director of innovation, said in a statement.
Using a custom motor and gear train, “Adapt”technology enables the shoe to be automatically adjusted to the foot.
The app allows the player to load in different fit preferences — for example, game play versus a timeout.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the first pitchman for the new shoe.
“That the app allows the ability to put the shoe on and touch the button, change the colors, see the percentage on the battery…it’s just cool,”Tatum said in a statement.
Nike says it plans to bring the system to shoes for other sports.
Nike has previously experimented with the technology, having launched a range o of automatically lacing shoes in its HyperAdapt range in 2016. The firm has also previously launched a limited edition pair of self-lacing shoes inspired by those worn by Michael J Fox’s character Marty McFly in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II.
Nike confirmed at the end of 2018 it was planning on releasing more self-lacing trainers. The latest shoes would be the first from the company that pair with a smartphone to control the laces, though the mechanics of the connection remains unknown.
