Nike's 'Back To The Future' Self-Tying Shoes Are About To Hit The Masses
Nike is about to release sneakers that never have to be laced up.
On Wednesday, March 16, the company unveiled the HyperAdapt 1.0, the futuristic sneakers it has been hinting at for years. The HyperAdapt 1.0, the real-life version of Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) Air Mags with "power laces" in "Back to the Future Part II" (1989), is the first shoe to have an automatic lacing feature.
When a person steps into a pair of these new Nikes, the self-lacing system is triggered via a sensor in the heel, automatically tightening the shoelaces. Two buttons on the side of the shoe allow the wearer to make the fit tighter or looser.
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The HyperAdapt 1.0 utilizes various mechanical, electrical, and digital technologies to allow for an ideal fit. As the company pointed out, this new feature eliminates the time and effort needed to tie one's shoelaces.
The shoes were presented, along with a slew of new Nike technologies, by Nike CEO Mark Parker at a company event in New York. The HyperAdapt 1.0 is expected to hit store shelves by this year's holiday season, though Nike has yet to reveal the pricing for the shoe.
Fox, who first wore the onscreen version of the shoes in "Back to the Future Part II," was sent a pair of the real self-lacing Nikes in 2015, CNET has learned. According to the website, this occurred during the festivities surrounding "Back to the Future Day" on October 2, the same day Fox's character in the time travel film arrived in the future.
"Innovation at Nike is not about dreaming of tomorrow," Nike designer Tinker Hatfield said in a press release. "It's about accelerating toward it."
"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," he said.
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo became the first athlete to put on the HyperAdapt 1.0. In a video posted to his Instagram, Ronaldo thanked Nike for letting him try on the groundbreaking new shoes.
