Nike Releases New Video of ‘Back to the Future’ Inspired Self-Lacing Sneakers
Last October, to commemorate the day Marty McFly traveled to in the future in Back to the Future, Part II, Nike and Michael J. Fox officially debuted the Air Mag, the self-lacing sneakers promised to us in the film. At the time, Fox had the only functional pair (he showed them off on Jimmy Kimmel Live) and there was a promise that the technology would become publicly available in 2016. Well, it’s 2016, where are our self-lacing sneakers?! Today, Nike debuted a new video of their self-lacing shoes in action, plus some more details.
Wait…those don’t look like Marty McFly’s shoes. That’s because they’re not. These are the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, a pair of actual performance sneakers that will utilize the self-lacing technology. The Air Mags will also be available, but only through an auction to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
So, what of these HyperAdapt sneakers? Nike said in an update on their site, “Sometimes, we deliver a reality before others have even begun to imagine it.” Uhhh dudes, we’ve been imagining this since 1989, but thanks.
Welcome the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, the first performance vehicle for Nike’s latest platform breakthrough, adaptive lacing. The shoe translates deep research in digital, electrical and mechanical engineering into a product designed for movement. It challenges traditional understanding of fit, proposing an ultimate solution to individual idiosyncrasies in lacing and tension preference.
Translation: shoes that lace themselves. Also, because what’s a good futuristic shoe without a little funky lighting, there’s a glowing blue light in the arch.
So, how can you get your hands on these bad boys? Like all great Nike/Back to the Future themed announcements, this comes with another ambiguous future date when they’ll be available. Right now Nike says these will be for sale to members of Nike+ beginning Holiday 2016 in three colors (black, white and one unnamed color). No price was listed, but you might want to start saving some cash.