LOOK: Nike self-lacing shoes finally a reality
FIRST PITCHMAN. Jayson Tatum gets to wear first the Nike pair that’s controlled by the touch of a button or a smartphone app. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – Great Scott!
After 30 long years since Back to the Future II hit theaters, Nike finally followed through on the classic time travel movie and released the self-lacing Adapt BB shoe line.
Thirty years ago (or 4 if you follow the movie's timeline), it was Michael J. Fox who first got a taste of the futuristic kicks of "2015."
Today, it's Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum's turn.
It took 4 years longer than anticipated, but these Adapt BBs definitely look hotter than a 1.21-gigawatt bolt of lightning.
Although come its release date on February 17, some would probably want to chicken out like Marty McFly.
That's because a pair of these smartphone-controlled shoes will set you back $350 – roughly P18,000.
But for those who can fork over the cash, it's all well worth it.
Using a custom motor and gear train, "Adapt" technology enables the shoe to be automatically adjusted to the foot.
The app allows the player to load in different fit preferences – for example, game play versus a timeout. They will also automatically loosen or tighten when you step into them, and then adapt based on your activity.
Other prototypes have been around as early as two years ago, but the Nike Adapt line is the first to be fully usable on and off the court.
"We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes," Eric Avar, Nike VP creative director of innovation, said in a statement.
The trial run certainly brought out the inner geek in the 20-year-old Tatum.
"That the app allows the ability to put the shoe on and touch the button, change the colors, see the percentage on the battery...it's just cool," he said in a statement.
A pair won't make you run 88 miles per hour, but at least you'd look cool in trying. – Rappler.com
