Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 Self-Lacing Sneaker: A Highly Skeptical Road Test
December 07 2016 - 3:19PM
Dow Jones News
By Jason Gay
HEY LOOK, it's easy to snicker at Nike's new self-lacing
sneakers, a "Back to the Future"-style pair that let you step in
and -- brrrzzzz-ziippp! -- tie themselves.
But as the parent of two rambunctious toddlers, I applaud this
seismic breakthrough. Have you had to tie shoes for toddlers
lately? It's easier to teach them to master French cuisine.
You probably saw something about these self-lacing puppies,
known as the HyperAdapt 1.0, when they were released last week.
They were everywhere -- on the "Today" show; on the feet of
basketball pro Kyrie Irving and soccer god Cristiano Ronaldo. They
were a cultural phenomenon before the public got a pair.
They're also $720, which is...OK, $720 is sort of nutso.
I met the shoes last week at a Nike studio space in lower
Manhattan. I was escorted to a stylishly lit back room that looked
a little like Derek Zoolander's man cave. There, I was introduced
to Nike designer Tiffany Beers, who, along with the company's
famous shoe whisperer, Tinker Hatfield, is the brains behind the
HyperAdapt 1.0.
Ms. Beers sketched out the details: In the middle of the sole,
there's a battery and "lace engine" -- basically, a spool that
turns to tighten the laces and pull on the web-like body of the
shoe. The lace engine engages automatically when you step in
(thanks to a sensor at the shoe's heel), but a pair of buttons near
your ankle also allow you to adjust the fit. Placing the shoes on
their induction-charging system -- a pair of futuristic-looking
white pods that are wired to a USB charger -- for a couple of hours
will give them enough juice to self-lace for about two weeks, she
said.
The technology seems simple, but little details took a long time
to perfect, according to Ms. Beers. The satisfying brrrzzzz-ziippp
originally sounded "like screaming cats," she said. "We worked
really hard on getting the sound better."
It was time for the big reveal. I put on the sneakers, and I
can't lie, they felt exactly like...sneakers! Maybe a bit more
snug, but comfortable. On the style side, the HyperAdapt 1.0s are
chunky, and there's a minor light show when they strap you in, but
they're not terribly mechanical or techy-looking. They're shoes
Jerry Seinfeld might wear to an airport.
I kind of liked them!
I know you're laughing at me, but try to think of these less as
a "self-tying sneaker" and more as an entry point to something
bigger: the smart sneaker. This is where Nike wants to go -- using
adaptive technology to build shoes that quickly customize to the
wearer's foot and performance needs. "I grew up in small town
Pennsylvania and I'd consider footwear today -- normal lace-up wear
-- like a horse and buggy, " Ms. Beers said.
And the HyperAdapt 1.0s?
"This is the Model T," she said. "It's going to all take off
after this, and I hope the entire industry does."
I know what you're saying: Hey, buddy, for $720, I'll tie my own
sneakers, thank you very much. I don't disagree: For $1,440, I'll
teach my kids to tie their own shoes, take them to Disneyworld, and
spend all day tying their shoes around Disneyworld.
But to me the HyperAdapt 1.0 also signals an intriguing future.
Especially if it doesn't sound like screaming cats.
Write to Jason Gay at Jason.Gay@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 07, 2016 15:04 ET (20:04 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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