The laces will automatically tighten when the shoe comes in contact with feet
Nike on Wednesday unveiled its new sneaker with a self-lacing system built in that it plans to sell later this year.
The innovative Back to the Future-like style, called Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, is equipped with sensors in the heels that trigger shoe laces to automatically tighten when it comes in contact with feet, the company said in a news release. The athlete then controls the tightness of the laces using two buttons on the sides.
“Innovation at Nike is not about dreaming of tomorrow. It’s about accelerating toward it,” Nike designer Tinker Hatfield said in the release. “We’re able to anticipate the needs of athletes because we know them better than anybody. Sometimes, we deliver a reality before others have even begun to imagine it.”
It’s Nike’s first shoe to use adaptive lacing and was designed to reduce distraction in athletes who may be concerned about slipping on untied laces during competitions. An earlier version of the sneaker was revealed in October 2015, when Nike gifted its first pair to Michael J. Fox, who played Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II.
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available later this year in three colors but only to Nike+ members.