 The world got its first glimpse of the Nike Air Mag in 1989, when Marty McFly sported a pair in Back to the Future. In the intervening 27 years, there’s been plenty of speculation about when (and if) science fiction would ever become fact. The wearer can adjust the tightness by pushing on a plus or minus sign on the left side of the shoe. Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield says in a statement that sneaker could eventually sense when you need a tighter or looser fit and adjust on the fly. Now we have the HyperAdapt 1.0, which shares the same tech that Nike used in those commemorative Air Mags, but comes in a much more consumer-ready form factor.
– The future is now, people! Ever since Marty McFly donned self-lacing shoes in Back to the Future, people have been dreaming about sporting a pair of their own—because, you know, tying laces sucks. Nike has finally brought the dream to life, reports the Verge. The company has announced a power-laced shoe called the HyperAdapt 1.0, which uses a sensor in the sole to read your foot position, then automatically tightens with a series of battery-operated pulleys, per Wired. You can adjust the fit with buttons on the sides of the shoes, which will learn your preferred setting after a few wears. But that's just the beginning. Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield suggests a more automatic version of the shoe that uses biometric data to sense the perfect fit could be on the way. "Wouldn't it be great if a shoe, in the future, could sense when you needed to have it tighter or looser? Could it take you even tighter than you'd normally go if it senses you really need extra snugness in a quick maneuver? That's where we're headed," he says on Nike.com. The yet-to-be-priced shoes will be available in three colors around the holidays, but only for Nike+ members. The downside? You'll have to charge them every two weeks.