Nike’s next-generation sneakers come with self-tying capabilities

Nike has officially brought the Back to the Future film into the present, with its self-tying sneakers.

Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the first shoe to display the technology, referred to as adaptive lacing. The shoe incorporates digital, electrical and mechanical engineering to understand lace and tension preferences of individual sneaker wearers.

“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. “Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it’s perfect.”

According to Nike, the potential for adaptive lacing for geared toward athletes is considerable large since it would offer “tailored-to-the-moment” custom fit. The shoe can sense what the body needs in real-time.

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While we’re not in a completely automated place yet when it comes to self-tying sneakers, Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the first step into the future of adaptive performance. The current version is manually controlled, but does bring the automated concept to life.

“Wouldn’t it be great if a shoe, in the future, could sense when you needed to have it tighter or looser? Could it take you even tighter than you’d normally go if it senses you really need extra snugness in a quick maneuver? That’s where we’re headed. In the future, product will come alive,” said Tinker Hatfield, Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 co-collaborator.

The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available to members of Nike+ beginning this holiday season in three colors. To become a Nike+ member, go to Nike.com.