Smart sports footwear: from film to automatic fit

Nike smart sports shoes

(This article is not for advertising purposes)

Do you remember the famous movie "Back to the Future 2" where the protagonist wore the famous self-adjusting footwear? And Nike, in 2016, released the special shoe in honor of the film's anniversary. It is the most famous example of the use of smart footwear. You can see how they work here

The famous Nike Air MAG

After that launch, Nike developed other self-lacing models, including the Adapt line. Their electronics and connected controls illustrate the evolution of smart footwear; automatic adjustment alone does not establish that they use machine learning.

AI has been merged with a new Nike sports shoe that incorporates a small microchip that connects with a mobile app in which the user chooses the firmness with which they want the laces to be tightened. Once adjusted, you can change it as many times as you want, but the system will always remember the measurement and will adjust when you start walking.

Update: Nike removed the Adapt app from app stores on 6 August 2024. The company says the shoes still work using their physical controls. This article describes the app’s features in the context of its launch.

---

Where we're going, we don't need the roads

Robert Zemeckis

---

What did this smart footwear offer?

The appeal of this kind of footwear is its ability to adapt the fit to the wearer’s preferences. This is different from machine-learning applications that analyse fashion trends or recommend products. 

Once the user has put on the shoe, the sensors calculate the necessary tension for the foot and adjust the inside of the shoe to ensure comfort and correct blood flow. The system and fabrics are capable of withstanding the same tension as a standard parachute cable, being able to withstand 14.5 kg of force, according to company data. 

The app will save the adjustment preferences, and in addition, the user can enter different settings for different times, loosening them during a waiting time or tightening them when starting over.

¿Want to learn more about how AI is used in different areas of life?

In our blog you find everything that interests you

Written by

Valeria Chernyshova