Years ago, Marty McFly’s power-laces from Back to the Future: Part II wowed audiences with the crazy idea of shoes that tie themselves. Now it seems that this certain piece of technology wont be part of science fiction for much longer. Nike recently announced that they were coming out with their version of the self-tying shoes, the HyperAdapt 1.0, which hits stores later this month. The highlight of the shoe is the lacing motor, which allows the shoe to be as tight or as loose as the wearer wants. The HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available for purchase in select US stores only, by November 28, 2016 and are expected to command a hefty price tag.
The laces are made of standard 200-pound-test fishing line, which are connected to a lacing motor that adjust for foot shape. This is what Nike calls its “adaptive lacing” technology. When you place your foot on the shoe, sensors in the shoe automatically adjust laces depending on the specific foot. Two buttons near the top of the shoe can be used to adjust the tightness of the whole shoe. The shoe has LED lights on the sides and back. The lights aren’t there just for show. They actually change color to indicate the amount of charging that still remains and when the shoes need to be recharged. The shoe’s batteries will need to be charged for three hours and once fully charged, should last up to two weeks.
But aside from the excitement of buying Marty McFly’s futuristic shoes, is there really any practical use of buying shoes that can tie themselves? As it turns out, there are many applications.
As the video shows, the shoes were designed specifically to meet the needs of athletes. Shoe tightness can be easily controlled via the buttons, so athletes need not torture their feet with tight lacing at the start of the game and can easily change the tightness to meet the changing needs throughout the game.
The shoes can also help non-athletes. They can be a great asset for people who may have difficulty tying their shoes. That includes people with disabilities and others who may lack fine motor control. While the technology is likely not going to replace velcro, it does give a stylish, high-tech option to replace traditional laces.
I came across an interesting article that puts a bigger emphasis on what self lacing shoes truly means for the world and the future,
https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/30/hyperadapt-2/ . Nike actually developed a product that will always keep your shoe nice and tight no matter what movement you make. High intensity exercise such as basketball and running could make anyone’s shoes become loose, but the self lacing shoe is designed to work with the exercise and keep the shoe tight always. It ultimately saves time from always retying someone’s shoes and could help any athlete or person not worry about their shoe coming untied or loose. My question is this: with this new technology, when will Nike’s patent run out and allow other shoe companies to compete and deliver more affordable self tying shoes or do you think shoe companies will develop something better than self tying shoes?
This is a very interesting concept that I probably never would have thought of. It definitely looks very cool and has the possibility to attract people who have difficulty tying their shoes or kids who need help with tying their shoelaces and learning to do so. However, the market for this will not be very wide, as they don’t really have a big target consumer. Also, this increases the tendency for people to be lazy and not have to do something as simple as tying their shoelaces. And the price for this is not cheap either and giving people incentive to buy this will be very difficult and the hype of this product is likely to die down after a while.
The shoes are so cool design. I remember that we have discussed design thinking is a methodology not exclusive for designers, that helps people understand and develop creative ways to solve a specific issue. Aside from looking cool, the adaptive lacing shoes are designed to serve a practical purpose for athletes, Nike says. I am more like Nike shoes than other shoes brands, because Nike shoes always make my feet fit comfortable, and shoes are very light.
http://news.nike.com/news/hyperadapt-adaptive-lacing