Michael J Fox already got a pair from Nike last year to celebrate us reaching 2015 (aka The Future) but the HyperAdapt 1.0 shoes will finally be ready for public sale on November 28.
The laces don’t actually tie as such, but rather tighten. Also, the traditional thick flat laces you see at the top of the shoe are merely for show and the restraints are instead a cable made of fishing line, though thankfully with some padding.
The name of the sneakers comes from the way they automatically adjust to fit the wearer’s foot once a pressure sensor in the sole is triggered. The wearer can manually adjust the fit with two buttons. In theory this won’t be needed when putting the shoe on, but may be useful if feet swell during the day.
The shoes also have LED lights which light up as the shoe is ‘lacing’ up. These aren’t just for show as they also indicate when the built-in battery is running low. A full three-hour charge should provide enough juice for two weeks of daily wear.
The shoes have been a long time coming. Current Nike vice president Mark Parker actually gave the idea to Robert Zemeckis back in 1988 during the development of the movie. The company has been mulling over turning it into a reality ever since and started serious development 11 years ago.
Pricing has yet to be announced.