NIKE CEO: Self-lacing shoes will be as big as self-driving cars
Mary Altaffer/AP
But just how large of a step the new shoe, dubbed the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 remains to be seen. As the 1.0 in its name implies, this sneaker is just the first in what could be a long line of Nike self-lacing sneakers, according to the the company's CEO, Mark Parker.
Parker went on CNBC to further clarify the release of the new sneaker - going as far as to say comparing the self-lacing sneaker tech with self driving car tech is a "good analogy" in terms of mainstream appeal.
"I think the performance that adapts to you [in] real time to suit your needs as an athlete is going to be a par tof product more and more as we head into the future," Parker told CNBC's Sara Eisen.
Nike is calling the technology Power Lace, and it's based on the technology used in a futuristic shoe in the 1989 cult classic "Back to the Future" called the Nike Mag (a real Nike Mag will also hit auction later this year).
Power Lace senses when the wear's foot is in the shoe, and automatically tightens the straps. The level of tightness can be adjusted using buttons on the side of the shoe, providing a custom tightness that traditional lacing systems just can't provide. In the future, the technology will also provide automatic loosening and tightening as the needs of the athlete wearing the shoes changes.
Parker then went on to compare the tech with Nike's Flyknit technology - a proprietary way to stitch together a shoe's upper that gives it a stretchy woven look and feel, allowing your feet greater movement - which also debuted in a single shoe.
"[Adaptive lacing] will become more ubiquitous, I think, as we move forward,"Parker said.
Pricing for the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0. hasn't been announced yet, but don't expect it to come to cheap.
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