They may not look like the flashy kicks Marty McFly donned in 1989's Back to the Future II, but Nike is finally launching a pair of self-lacing sneakers.
The HyperAdapt 1.0—envisioned nearly 30 years ago and unveiled in March—are Nike's first attempt at adaptive lacing. "When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten," project technical lead Tiffany Beers explained earlier this year. "Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it's perfect."
The shoes will be available for "experience and purchase" at select Nike retail locations in the US starting Nov. 28. Consumers can keep an eye out for more details, including how to book an appointment.
HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available in the U.S. at select Nike retail locations. Appointments to experience & purchase begin 11.28.16. pic.twitter.com/t3YVLa8Rsl
— Heidi Burgett (@heidiburgett) September 20, 2016
Pricing has not yet been revealed, but Wired suggests the first-generation footwear will command a "high price tag."
"The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the first step into the future of adaptive performance," the manufacturer said in March. Currently manual (i.e. controlled by a human), it "makes feasible the once-fantastic concept of an automated, nearly symbiotic relationship between the foot and shoe."
Nike collaborated with Robert Zemeckis on the Back to the Future sequel, which was set partly in 2015, to "imagine sneakers that would suit the inhabitants of the advanced era." The result: MAG high-tops.
In 2011, Nike produced 1,500 replica pairs, which were auctioned off on eBay and earned millions for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. But they were largely for show and did not sport automatic laces.
On Oct. 21, 2015—the day Marty, Doc Brown, and the DeLorean arrive in the future—Nike showed off real self-tying MAGs, a sort of HyperAdapt prototype. As the shoe's first and most-celebrated wearer, Fox received a pair last year.
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