Nike's HyperAdapt 1.0 Self-Lacing Shoe Brings The Future To Your Feet, Price TBA
As any fan of the 1989 film "Back To The Future Part II" can attest, self-lacing shoes have long been the stuff of fantasy. If you were a young child of the '80s struggling to learn to tie your shoes, this seemed like the coolest solution possible.
Well Gen Xers, meet the world's first self-lacing shoe in mass production.
The price of Nike's HyperAdapt 1.0 line, set for a Christmas launch later this year, has yet to be announced and though the shoes will only available for purchase by members of the company's Nike+ fitness program, they have already generated major attention.
"I think there's a wide range of people that are really interested in this whole self-lacing, adaptive performance," Nike CEO Mark Parker said Thursday morning on the CNBC program "Squawk on the Street."
"Obviously, you have the sneakerheads who are all over it. I mean, this has been a buzz for them for years."
And according Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, who created the prototype of the HyperAdapt 1.0, there are practical reasons that a self-tying shoe is way more than just a novelty for "Back To The Future" nerds.
"It is amazing to consider a shoe that senses what the body needs in real-time," Hatfield said. "That eliminates a multitude of distractions, including mental attrition and thus truly benefits performance."
The project's technical leader and Nike Senior Innovator Tiffany Beers explained that the shoe is designed to anticipate the needs of athletes.
"When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten," Beers said. "Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen."
And though Hatfield is quick to acknowledge there may be some kinks to iron out as the HyperAdapt 1.0 is rolled out, the Nike designer is confident this is a major milestone in the world of footwear.
"This is our first effort," he said. "We know it's not perfect, but it's a big step forward."
