Nike’s ‘Back to the Future’ Self-Lacing Sneaker Will Go on Sale in November
Nike’s HyperAdapt 1.0 self-lacing sneakers will finally go on sale November 28, according to a tweet sent by the company’s director of public relations.
According to the tweet, the shoes will only be available at select Nike store locations and will require an appointment for both “experience” and purchase.
There’s no confirmation on price, but according to Wired’s report on the development, the shoes will not be cheap.
The shoes were first announced by Nike to great fanfare at its innovation conference in March. Nike CEO Mark Parker later went on CNBC to claim that self-lacing sneakers will be as big as self-driving cars in the future, with both mainstream appeal and application.
The first shoe, the HyperAdapt 1.0, will feature the signature adaptive fit, which senses when the wearer’s foot is in the shoe using a pressure sensor, and automatically tightens the straps until it senses resistance based on an “algorithmic pressure equation,” according to Wired. Buttons near the tongue of the shoe provide customized adjustment if the shoe feels too tight or too loose.
LED lights on the sole will tell you when the shoe is tightening and low on battery charge. The shoes will need to be charged like a gadget to work. It will take 3 hours to achieve a full charge, which will last two weeks.
The technology took 11 years for Nike to research and develop.
“We’re talking about a project that’s maybe the most difficult in the history of footwear," Nike VP Tinker Hatfield told Wired.
Self-lacing sneakers first entered the public consciousness in 1989’s "Back to the Future II,” which featured a futuristic version of self-lacing sneakers called the Nike Mag. Nike produced a few Nike Mag versions for charity, and even sent Michael J. Fox a pair. This is the first time the self-lacing technology will be available in a mass-produced shoe.
HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available in the U.S. at select Nike retail locations. Appointments to experience & purchase begin 11.28.16. pic.twitter.com/t3YVLa8Rsl
NOW WATCH: This 16-year-old entrepreneur is making a fortune selling rare sneakers to celebrities
More From Business Insider
Solve the daily Crossword
