Power Lacing Shoes That Automatically Tighten

Nike unveiled their 1st Generation power lacing shoe yesterday the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0. “When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten,” explains 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.”

“Adaptive lacing” as Nike calls the technology, is years in the making. The team first came up with a snowboard boot featuring an external generator. While far from the ideal, it was the first of a series of strides toward their original goal: to embed the technical components into such a small space that the design moves with the body and absorbs the same force the athlete is facing.