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Nike's Self-Lacing Shoes Will Go On Sale This Year (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the Back-to-the-Future dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 self-lacing shoes have been officially unveiled. We know they will go on sale later this year, but we do not know the price. "When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten," explained Tiffany Beers, the project's technical lead. There are two buttons on the side of the shoe that allow you to tweak how loose or tight the laces are. The concept behind the HyperAdapt shoes bring to mind Marty McFly's Nike Mags from Back to the Future, even if they do not look very similar. Nike hasn't yet revealed how the shoes work from a technical point of view but they do lineup with the US patent filed by the company in 2009. The HyperAdapt 1.0 shoes will be exclusively available to users of the Nike+ app later this year in three color combinations -- white, grey and black.

16 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. Battery powered by Meshach · · Score: 4, Insightful
    From the article:

    Presumably the lacing mechanism is battery-powered, but there's no word on how long the battery might last or how you might recharge it.

    I never thought I would see the day where shoes would be battery powered.

    Imaging not being able to take off shoes because the battery is dead.

    --
    "Maybe this world is another planet's hell"
    Aldous Huxley
    1. Re:Battery powered by BeauHD · · Score: 2

      It's just one more (two more, technically) device to charge at night.

    2. Re:Battery powered by Meshach · · Score: 2

      And no word yet on whether or not laces are a user serviceable part.

      --
      "Maybe this world is another planet's hell"
      Aldous Huxley
    3. Re:Battery powered by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Funny

      Uh-oh . . . you should read the fine print in the EULA . . . your feet are now property on the Nike Corporation!

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    4. Re:Battery powered by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      An easy solution, perhaps, would be a mechanism that charges the battery as you walk.

    5. Re:Battery powered by vtcodger · · Score: 2

      "two more, technically"

      That would depend on how many feet you have, would it not?

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    6. Re:Battery powered by penguinoid · · Score: 2

      I never thought I would see the day where shoes would be battery powered.

      I guess you must have missed all those blinky lights shoes.

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  2. Grand-Dad, back in the Olden Days by turkeydance · · Score: 2

    did you REALLY have to tie your own shoes?

  3. BTTF by monkeyman.kix · · Score: 3, Funny

    Marty Mcfly is like "Uhh Doc. We have a problem, These self lacing shoes are a year late, we gotta go back in time to fix this!"

  4. Re:No real impact on me by sgage · · Score: 2

    OK Donald.

  5. Had these when I was a kid by Gavagai80 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Instead of pushing a button to adjust tightness, I just pulled two straps to the desired tightness. They called it "velcro" and it worked quite well and quite fast for those who didn't want to / couldn't tie their shoes, for hundreds less dollars.

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    This space intentionally left blank
  6. Still... by sycodon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Springs, bouncy soles, fancy graphics, LEDs, etc...those are gimmicks that idiots fall for.

    Self lacing is a practical advantage for millions of disabled people.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Still... by nmb3000 · · Score: 2

      Self lacing is a practical advantage for millions of disabled people.

      This was my first thought as well. I can understand the need to make the first version of these shoes flashy -- to make them appeal to the target demographic (oh look shiny!) -- but once they've refined the technology and reduced costs, I completely expect them to make some traditional styles designed for disabled and elderly folks who have a difficult time even with velcro straps.

      As for power concerns, it will be interesting to see what the storage and charging system is. Perhaps the motors consume little enough that just walking around could generate enough charge to run the laces motors a couple of times. If not, then a wireless charging mat could work.

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    2. Re:Still... by Darinbob · · Score: 2

      Velcro straps, those work well. Also the spiral laces, those work too. With no batteries either.

    3. Re:Still... by Nationless · · Score: 2

      Or, you know, Velcro.

      Or even just slip on shoes.

      If someone can't toe their shoelaces due to disability then having to change batteries isn't going to be a walk in the park either.

  7. But will they... by Chrisq · · Score: 2

    But will they... "Give me three D vision and the California blues".