In 1989's "Back to the Future II," Nike in 2015 had already developed a pair of self-lacing shoes. In 2015, science fiction became a reality as the 2015 model of the Nike MAG, the shoes Marty McFly worn in the movie, apart from lighting up, also tightened the laces for you. While the 2015 MAG was auctioned online and was limited to 1,500 pieces, Nike has finally made the technology available to the public and launched the Hyperadapt 1.0 — a pair of running shoes that employs motors to automatically tighten themselves up.
Nike calls the technology adaptive lacing and says it will keep athletes more focused as it solves the problem of having to lace up in the middle of your run. "When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten," said Tiffany Beers, senior innovator, NIKE Inc., and the project's technical lead, in a statement. "Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it's perfect."
Tinker Hatfield, the designer of the original Nike MAG (and several other iconic Nike shoes), who was also involved in the development of the Hyperadapt, believes that adaptive lacing is the future. "It is amazing to consider a shoe that senses what the body needs in real-time. That eliminates a multitude of distractions, including mental attrition, and thus truly benefits performance."
Along with the Hyperadapt, Nike also pulled the wraps off its Nike+ fitness app, which it initially developed with Apple. The new app, which will be available in June, will become "athletes' all-access pass to Nike's most coveted products and events via one seamless sign-on." The new app connects users to Nike+ Run Club, Nike+ Training Club and Nike+ SNKRS apps. Among other offerings like product recommendations and notifications from Nike, the Nike+ app is the only place where you can pick up your own pair of Hyperadapt 1.0s.
