Self-tying shoes

Last updated
Self-Tying shoes
Back to the Future franchise element
Nike Mag.jpeg
A replica of the original Nike Mag shoes, 2011
Publisher Amblin Entertainment
First appearance
Created by Robert Zemeckis
Bob Gale
Genre Science fiction
In-universe information
TypeShoe
Affiliation Marty McFly
Emmett "Doc" Brown

Self-tying shoes (also known as self-lacing or power laces) are designed to automatically tighten once the user puts them on. Such types of "smart shoes" were initially depicted in the 1989 science fiction film Back to the Future Part II .

Contents

Manufacturers

Nike

In April 2009, Nike filed a patent for self-lacing shoes, with a design that bears a resemblance to those worn by Marty in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II , [1] raising speculation among fans about a possible debut of self-lacing shoes. In 2014, Tinker Hatfield, the designer of the original Nike shoes as depicted in Back to the Future Part II, indicated that they would introduce shoes with power-lacing technology the following year, 2015. [2] Fewer than 100 pairs of Nike Mags with power-lacing capabilities were made and sold through an online draw starting October 4, 2016, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. [3]

In March 2016, at a press event in New York, Nike unveiled its self-tying shoe to market, the HyperAdapt 1.0, which is scheduled to hit store shelves in select Nike locations on November 28. The HyperAdapt does not have any real laces, but embedded actuators that, in tandem with pressure monitors, delicately conform the shoe's cushions to the foot's shape; once the user steps in, the heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten. The HyperAdapt also comes with two buttons on the side tighten and loose, so the user can adjust it to their preference. [4] Nike CEO, Mark Parker, said comparing the self-lacing sneaker tech with self driving car tech is a "good analogy" in terms of mainstream appeal. [5] The company introduced a basketball version of HyperAdapt shoes called Adapt BB in 2019. [6] Nike then intreduced a shoe in 2020 called Adapt Auto Max. Nike claims to have taken inspiration from the Nike Air Max 90s.

Puma

In November 2015, Puma unveiled the Autodiscs, which features Puma's patented Disc closure system that uses a servo motor that powers a uniquely configured cable system designed to offer tunable support throughout the shoe. This prototype version features a micro USB cable to charge the on-board battery which powers the motor, but commercial version will have a charging plate included, so users won't have to worry about plugging the shoe to a power source. [7] [8] Puma has made 50 pairs of the Autodisc, with many of them reserved to athletes like Usain Bolt and Rickie Fowler. [9] By 2019, Puma had developed micro-motors to adjust the fit of a shoe from an iPhone known as Fi. [10]

Power Laces, LLC

In 2010, Blake Bevin, a self-described "science geek", created a prototype of self-lacing shoes, inspired by Marty's Nike MAG; once the user steps in, a sensor records the pressure of the foot on the sole and activates two servo motors, which apply tension to the laces, thus tightening the shoe. A touch-activated switch reverses the servos and loosens the laces. [11] Bevin posted DIY instructions on how to recreate the power laces technology on her website. [12] Later, Bevin founded Power Laces, LLC started a Kickstarter project in order to fund the development of commercial version and successfully raised the pledged goal of $25,024. [13]

Powerlace

Powerlace P-One shoes are able to lace up automatically based on the wearer's body weight. Once the shoes are on, the wearer presses their heel on the concealed disc linked to the laces by wires, and wearers can use a lever attached to the back of the shoe to release pressure and loosen the lace. In November 2014, the company started a kickstarter project to raise funds and sell the shoes. [14] [15]

Digitsole Smartshoe

The Canadian company Digitsole, which already sells smart soles, has unveiled a prototype of a smart sneaker. It is a self-tightening, heating, and shock-absorbing shoe with a USB connector and can be monitored via Bluetooth with a smartphone. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Back to the Future Part II</i> 1989 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is the sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second installment in the Back to the Future franchise. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson with Elisabeth Shue, and Jeffrey Weissman in supporting roles. It follows Marty McFly (Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) as they travel from 1985 to 2015 to prevent Marty's son from sabotaging the McFly family's future. When their arch-nemesis Biff Tannen (Wilson) steals Doc's DeLorean time machine and uses it to alter history for his benefit, the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adidas</span> German multinational clothing and apparel corporation

Adidas AG is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which also owns an 8.33% stake of the football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company. Adidas's revenue for 2018 was listed at €21.915 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing shoe</span> Type of footwear designed for rock climbing

A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a tight fit, an asymmetrical downturn, and a sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand to the heel and the toe. Different types of shoes can be better suited for different levels of technique and routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Air Force</span> Range of athletic shoes made by Nike

Nike Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike that began with Air Force 1. It was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use Nike's "Air" technology. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneakers</span> Sport and casual shoes

Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skate shoe</span> Type of footwear designed for use in skateboarding

Skate shoes or skateboard shoes are a type of footwear specifically designed and manufactured for use in skateboarding. While numerous non-skaters choose to wear skate shoes as they are popular in fashion, the design of the skate shoe includes many features designed especially for use in skateboarding, including a vulcanized rubber or polyurethane sole with minimal tread pattern or no pattern, a composition leather or suede upper, and reinforced stitching to extend the life of the upper material. The most important aspect of skate shoes is that they have flat soles which allow the skater to have better board control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football boot</span> Footwear worn when playing association football

Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in NAmE, are a type of shoe worn when playing association football (soccer). Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football boots have come a long way and today find themselves subject to much research, development, sponsorship and marketing at the heart of a multi-national global industry. Modern "boots" are no longer truly boots in that they do not cover the ankle - like most other types of athletic footwear, their basic design and appearance has converged with that of sneakers since the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Air Max</span> Line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc.

Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinker Hatfield</span> American shoe designer (born 1952)

Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Shox</span> Shoe by Nike

Nike Shox is a support system feature in several of Nike's flagship sneakers, first released in 2000. The design is an arrangement of primarily polyurethane hollow columns in the midsole supporting the shoe's heel. Most models include four circular columns in a square formation to provide stability. Later variations sometimes added additional columns, or changed to triangular or rectangular formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike+iPod</span> Activity tracker device

The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is an activity tracker device, developed by Nike, Inc., which measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. The Nike+iPod consists of a small transmitter device attached to or embedded in a shoe, which communicates with either the Nike+ Sportband, a receiver plugged into an iPod Nano. It can also work directly with a 2nd Generation iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, The Nike+iPod was announced on May 23, 2006. On September 7, 2010, Nike released the Nike+ Running App on the App Store, which used a tracking engine powered by MotionX that does not require the separate shoe sensor or pedometer. This application works using the accelerometer and GPS of the iPhone and the accelerometer of the iPod Touch, which does not have a GPS chip. Nike+Running is compatible with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus down to iPhone 3GS and iPod touch. On June 21, 2012, Nike released Nike+ Running App for Android. The current app is compatible with all Android phones running 4.0.3 and up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneaker collecting</span> Collecting, trading and/or admiring of sneakers as a hobby

Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike, Inc.</span> American athletic equipment company

Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wearable technology</span> Clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies

Wearable technology is any technology that is designed to be used while worn. Common types of wearable technology include smartwatches and smartglasses. Wearable electronic devices are often close to or on the surface of the skin, where they detect, analyze, and transmit information such as vital signs, and/or ambient data and which allow in some cases immediate biofeedback to the wearer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Blazer</span> Third shoe released by Nike

Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Mag</span> Limited-edition shoe created by Nike

The Nike MAG is a limited-edition shoe created by Nike Inc. It is a replica of a shoe featured in the film Back to the Future Part II. The Nike Mag was originally released for sale in 2011 and again in 2016. Both launches were in limited quantities. The 2011 release was limited to 1,510 pairs, while the 2016 release was limited to 89 pairs.

<i>Sole Collector</i>

Sole Collector is an American media brand and publication founded in Portland, Oregon which focuses on sneaker news and sneaker culture. The company is currently based in New York and owned by Complex Networks.

The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the first self-lacing shoe made directly available for retail. The design of the footwear was executed by Tinker Hatfield accompanied by Mark Parker, who was heavily involved in the development. Utilizing an electro adaptive lacing system abbreviated as "E.A.R.L.", the sneaker technically autonomously conforms to the figuration of one's foot. On December 1, 2016, they were officially released in limited quantity for $720. However, due to the shoes being released in limited quantity at the time, they are now valued upwards of $200,000. The Hyperadapt has been released several times since the initial release date in extremely small quantities.

A four-dimensional product considers a physical product as a life-like entity capable of changing form and physical properties autonomously over time. It is an evolving field of product design practice and research linked to similar concepts at the material scale, however, typically utilizes sensors and actuators in order to respond to environmental and human conditions, modifying the shape, color, character and other physical properties of the product. In this way 4D products share similarities with responsive architecture, at the more human scale associated with products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Geller</span> American sneaker collector

Jordan Michael Geller is an American sneaker collector who founded and operated the ShoeZeum, the world's first sneaker museum. In 2012, Geller was certified by Guinness World Records for having the largest sneaker collection in the world, at 2,388 pairs.

References

  1. "US2009042072 AUTOMATIC LACING SYSTEM". wipo.int.
  2. Billington, James (February 17, 2014). "Nike is actually making Marty McFly's self-lacing shoes". New York Post . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. "How to Get the 2016 Nike Mag - Nike News". news.nike.com. October 4, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  4. Green, Dennis (March 17, 2016). "Great Scott! Nike's HyperAdapt 1.0 self-tying shoes will debut on November 28". Business Insider . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. Wiggers, Kyle (March 17, 2016). "NIKE CEO: Self-lacing shoes will be as big as self-driving cars". Digital Trends . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. "Jayson Tatum Is the First Basketball Player to Wear Nike's Self-Lacing Shoes in an NBA Game". Footwear News. 17 January 2019.
  7. Sawyer, Jonathan (November 10, 2015). "PUMA Beats Nike to Market With Auto-Lacing System". High Snobiety . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  8. Lai, Richard (October 10, 2016). "Puma's self-lacing shoes were made for track athletes". Engadget . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. Sharma, Shaliesh (November 2, 2016). "Puma's Autodisc gives tough fight to Nike's HyperAdapt". Latin Post . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. "A Digital Sneaker". Time.
  11. "Back to the Future fan Blake Bevin invents working power laces prototype". news.com.au . July 7, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. "How To Build Your Own Auto-Lacing Shoes". Popular Science . October 21, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  13. "Self-Tightening Power Laces Shoes, Back From the Future". news.com.au . September 20, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  14. "Yes, someone has finally built Marty McFly's auto-lacing shoes". BGR . November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  15. "Powerlace Technology Stepping Up to Nike With its Own Auto-Lacing Shoes". BGR . November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  16. "Your Sneakers Just Got Smarter With Digitsole's Smartshoe". 30 May 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.