Nike’s self-lacing HyperAdapt 1.0 is a convenient, snug fit

27 years ago, Back To The Future Part II introduced the world to the Nike Mag: a sneaker that tightened your laces for you. They will only be available in the United States initially, with select retail locations offering purchase appointments from 28 November.

The price remains a speculation, but Wired, which investigated the development of the shoes, expects them to be really expensive.

The pair is powered by a battery and you will need to charge the shoes in order to get the self-lacing effect out of them. If wearers feel it is too tight, they can push two buttons located at the sides of the sneakers to set the it manually.

The HyperAdapt 1.0 and will be offered at select retail outlets starting on November 28. After decades upon decades of teasing and building up a following of millions of people, Nike has finally unveiled the release date of its self-lacing shoes. Now manual (i.e. controlled by a human), it “makes feasible the once-fantastic concept of an automated, almost symbiotic relationship between the foot and shoe”. Sensors in the shoe detect when it’s being worn and a “lace engine” in the base of the sneaker then controls a system of nylon bands that tighten around the foot based on algorithmic calculations.

Pricing has not yet been revealed, but Wired suggests the first-generation footwear will command a “high price tag”. All of the internal electronics require keeping the shoes charged in order to properly function.

The high-tech shoes not only have a revolutionary mechanism, but a series of lights throughout the pair of kicks give it a futuristic look.

The shoes were first announced by Nike to great fanfare at its innovation conference in March. Nike says it takes three hours to fully charge which should last two weeks.