Skip to main content
Buckle up, because tying your shoes just got a whole lot cooler.
Nike has just debuted the HyperAdapt 1.0, a shoe that uses new "adaptive lacing" technology that reacts to small movements in the wearer's heel to adjust the tightness of the shoe's lacing at will, at the Nike Innovation 2016 conference in New York City. Basically, Nike made something that sounds a lot like shoes that tie themselves.
According to Nike, adaptive lacing technology "challenges traditional understanding of fit, proposing an ultimate solution to individual idiosyncrasies in lacing and tension preference." With a development team lead by Nike Senior Innovator Tiffany Beers and legendary footwear designer/creative genius Tinker Hatfield, adaptive lacing technology allows athletes to adjust lace tightness on the fly to reduce error from undue pressure or lace slippage. The adaptive lacing project has been in development since at least 2013, with the technology having quietly debuted last October in the Nike Mag: the real life version of the shoe featured in Back to the Future.
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available to members of Nike+ for the 2016 holiday season in three colorways.
Nike also announced a redesign of the Nike+ app, turning it into something of a one stop shop for all of members' Nike-related needs. The new Nike+ is designed around five tabs: Feed, providing the user with tailored stories, training tips and product information, My Store, providing personalized shopping and customization options, Services, which connects users to experts and links to other Nike apps, Pass, which stores promotional QR codes and Inbox through which users gain access to exclusive offers and experiences. The new Nike+ app launched in June 2016. Aspiring members can join on Nike.com.
Alongside adaptive lacing, Nike announced a major development in Nike Air technology: the Nike Air VaporMax. The newest development in the proud, 29 year tradition of of Nike Air technology, VaporMax is one of the biggest breakthroughs the line has seen in years due to new construction that allows the famous air cushion to independently maintain its structural form without relying on inflexible support areas. This development eliminates the need for a foam midsole, allowing shoes with Air VaporMax to be constructed lighter and with less waste. You can read more here.
Nike also announced several new shoes, including the Nike Air Zoom KD9, the newest in Kevin Durant's signature line, a new Nike Zoom Super Flyknit track shoe as well as new additions to their basketball, running, football and soccer lines, and new NikeGRIP anti-slip performance socks.
That is a lot to swallow from Portland's favorite small business. A roundup of all of Nike's newest developments as well as links to individual product and technology pages can be found here.
Willamette Week