London - They were first seen in Back To The Future films more than a quarter of a century ago.
But now the self-lacing shoes of sci-fi have become a reality.
Nike has unveiled a pair of trainers that contain sensors to detect when the wearer puts them on.
Tiny pulleys inside each shoe then tighten the laces until the footwear is a snug fit.
The tightness of the trainers can then be adjusted at the touch of a button.
Nike claims athletes who wear the HyperAdapt 1.0 trainers will be more focused because they will not have to worry about lacing their footwear. However, the hi-tech shoes, which have blue lights in the sole, will need to be recharged once a fortnight.
The trainers, unveiled at a glitzy event in New York, are Nike’s most significant entry to the “wearable-tech” market currently occupied by the Fitbit and the Apple Watch. They bring to reality the self-tying shoes worn by Marty McFly in the 1989 film Back To The Future Part II.
Time traveller McFly, played by Michael J Fox, lands in 2015 – by which time, the film predicts, they have been invented. McFly also rides a hoverboard, but his version floats on air while the boards currently marketed run on two wheels.
Nike says the HyperAdapt means “loose laces are now relics of the past”, adding the claim that it “challenges traditional understanding of fit, proposing an ultimate solution to individual idiosyncrasies in lacing and tension preference”.
When the wearer puts on the HyperAdapt, a sensor calculates their weight and where their foot is. Battery-powered pulleys wind around spools to tighten each lace.
In the early versions of the HyperAdapt, users will be able to tighten and loosen the laces by pressing a plus or minus button on the side of each shoe. To loosen the trainer completely, the minus button must be pushed for two seconds.
After being worn a couple of times, the shoe automatically adjusts to your preferred setting. Nike says later versions will be fully automatic.
The trainer has been in development since 2013 and will be available this autumn in three colours for members of the Nike+ loyalty ap. The price has not been revealed.
Other innovations unveiled by Nike included “anti-clog traction”, which uses technology that prevents mud from sticking to the studs and soles of football boots.
Daily Mail