Nike brings footwear one step closer to future
One would be hard pressed not talk to someone who hasn’t heard of the Back to the Future movies. The three films have been synonymous with pop culture from the release of the first film in 1985 to modern day 2016. Back to the Future II took place in 2015 and many of the predictions the film made for the year 2015 have yet to come true even on the twilight of 2016. The Chicago Cubs have yet to break their over-100 year championship drought, and hoverboards have yet to be invented in the way the film portrayed. But one thing from the film has become reality: self-lacing shoes.
The shoes were first unveiled on Oct. 21, 2015 by Michael J. Fox (who played Marty McFly) on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The shoes come with an automatic sensor in the foot bed of the shoe and have buttons that light up the shoe as well as loosen and tighten the shoe on the inside of the collar. The shoes are powered by a battery and need to be charged every two weeks. The Nike Air Mags are finally available to the public. Nike held an online raffle from Oct. 4-11 for 89 pairs of the shoes. The winners were chosen Oct. 17. Raffle tickets were $10 each with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, an organization committed to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, the mentally deteriorating disease which Fox has.
Many sneaker-enthusiasts have anticipated the arrival of the self-lacing Nike Air Mags, and their wish has finally been granted. And it seems like power-lacing is not going to be exclusive to the Air Mag, either.
Nike has always been a brand that comes up with innovating technology for its sneakers, and it seems like the company is up to its old tricks. March 16, Nike unveiled the Nike Hyper adapt 1.0. The Hyper adapt comes with the same power-lacing and lights that come with the Nike Air Mag as well as trademark Nike materials Flyknit and Flywire. During the unveiling of the Hyperadapt, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, the man who designed many of Nike’s most iconic shoes, said, “The potential adaptive lacing for the athlete is huge, as it would provide a tailored-to-the-moment custom fit. It is amazing to consider a shoe that senses the body in real time. That eliminates a multitude of distraction, including mental attritions, and that truly benefits performance.”
Nike is already looking toward applying the technology towards Basketball sneakers. The Hyperadapt is marketed as a runner and is set for a release at select Nike retailers on Nov. 28. Though the 2015 in Back to the Future II might not be the 2015 we know, one thing is for certain: The future is indeed now, and it has arrived in the hands of Nike.
