The good news about the 2010s is technology is taking over and human effort is becoming obsolete. The bad news is technology is taking over and human effort is becoming obsolete.
10 years have passed since Nike patented their idea for self-lacing shoes, and back in October we learned the Back to the Future throwbacks (throw-forwards?) were going to be both available and affordable.
Pretty good news for those of us who never really mastered the ‘bunny-ears’ method of tying our laces, but now there’s more to get excited about.
The new trainer is called the Nike Adapt BB, and it uses technology whereby you can remotely tie your own laces using an app. And if you’re wondering whether people will be lazy enough for that, you’re asking the wrong questions.
They’re aimed at basketball players, and are geared to that particular sport’s need for a shoe which fits perfectly. Ergo, the introduction of what it describes as ‘smart shoes’, which use what the company describes as “an advance power-lacing system”.
“Because the needs of the foot change at any given time based on the sport, its duration and on specific movements, like a slashing cut to the basket, “perfect fit” is a floating target,” Nike explains in a release.
In layman’s terms, this means using sensors in the shoe to determine how loose and how tight it needs to be at any given moment, with a “custom motor and gear train” managing this process.
Basketball players might need looser or tighter footwear for different stages of a game – it’s more than just not wanting to waste time re-lacing.
And so, using the app, players can pre-select tightness settings based on different requirements of different stages of a game.
The Nike Adapt BB is expected to be available from February 2019, with a retail cost of $350 (£272).
(Image: Nike)
