Nike unveiled what it’s calling “the future of sport” at a company innovation event in New York City on Wednesday.
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the company’s first self-lacing shoe to use what it calls “adaptive lacing”, utilizing a button to automatically tighten the laces to adapt to the wearer’s foot, with a light-up bottom. The battery-powered shoes, to be released later this year through the Nike+ app, will come in various sizes for multiple purposes.
The reveal was a part of a larger event used to introduce a rebooted Nike+ app, which will combine Nike’s Training Club, Running Club and retail app into one integrated experience.
“Today showcases a breadth of innovation that only Nike can deliver,” said Nike President and CEO Mark Parker. “It represents a fundamental shift in how we serve the athlete. We’ve entered a new era of personalized performance. Athletes want more than a dashboard and data – they want a more personal relationship, one that gives them real solutions and total access to the best product and services.”
Nike also revealed other new technologies it would be launching this year, including a new form of its Nike Air Flynit which allows designers to remove the layers of foam and rubber which used to be required to separate the foot from the shoe for support purposes. With the new technology, only a Nike Flynit upper and a Nike Air would be needed. Nike Anti-Clog Traction, meanwhile, helps better serve athletes by preventing mud from sticking to the bottom of football cleats with a new adaptive polymer.