{"id":199799,"date":"2016-03-18T06:56:49","date_gmt":"2016-03-18T06:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=199799"},"modified":"2016-03-18T06:56:49","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T06:56:49","slug":"nike-restricts-self-lacing-trainers-app-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=199799","title":{"rendered":"Nike restricts self-lacing trainers to app users"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nike has unveiled its much-anticipated range of self-lacing shoes.<\/p>\n

It said the HyperAdapt trainers would be released to the public before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

A pair of Nike-branded shoes with self-tightening laces featured in the 1989 film Back to the Future II, but it was not until 2013 that the firm started trying to make real-world versions.<\/p>\n

In an unexpected move, the US firm has said that sales would be restricted to users of its apps.<\/p>\n

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While some might see the self-lacing function as being more gimmicky than useful, the tie-in to the Nike+ software will help the company promote other goods to those curious about HyperAdapt.<\/p>\n

Nike+ apps are currently focused on tracking data about users’ activities and offering them training programmes. But from June, the platform will introduce personalised shopping recommendations and an online store.<\/p>\n

“Nike has lost a fair bit of traction recently to sportswear upstarts including Under Armour, which bought the MyFitnessPal app, and Asics, which has acquired Runkeeper,” said Marc McLaren, online editor of Stuff, a tech-focused magazine.<\/p>\n

“This will help keep people engaged, and we can already see from the reaction our readers are having to the announcement that they are very excited by it.”
\nMini motors<\/p>\n

Although Marty McFly’s trainers appeared to tie themselves up in the Back to the Future movie, the effect was in fact created using a prop that was bolted to the ground, below which a stagehand pulled on the laces.<\/p>\n

Nike has achieved the effect for real by using small electric motors to adjust the laces.<\/p>\n

These are activated when the user’s heel touches a sensor.<\/p>\n

\"_88819315_bb7bd49a-b255-4c50-a807-0dff1be19079\"<\/p>\n

Two buttons on the side allow the wearer to tighten or loosen the fit. A glowing component built into the sole acts as a wireless charging point, while LEDs on the back indicate how much charge remains.<\/p>\n

Attendees at the company’s Innovation Summit in New York were able to try on functioning prototypes.<\/p>\n

The firm said the final product should need to be recharged about once a fortnight.<\/p>\n

In time, Nike added, it intends to develop the idea further.<\/p>\n

“Wouldn’t it be great if a shoe, in the future, could sense when you needed to have it tighter or looser?” asked the trainers’ designer Tinker Hatfield.<\/p>\n

“Could it take you even tighter than you’d normally go if it senses you really need extra snugness in a quick manoeuvre? That’s where we’re headed.”<\/p>\n

The firm is not alone in developing self-tightening footwear.<\/p>\n

At the CES tech show in January, French start-up Digitsole unveiled a pair of self-tightening “smartshoes” that also featured an app-controlled heater – but they have yet to go on sale.<\/p>\n

Nike, however, has a stronger brand.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s a canny move to get people to sign up to the Nike+ service, but if they do prove popular I’m sure the firm will open them up to a wider audience eventually,” added Mr McLaren.<\/p>\n

“But maybe that will be another year down the line.”<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nike has unveiled its much-anticipated range of self-lacing shoes. It said the HyperAdapt trainers would be released to the public before the end of the year. A pair of Nike-branded shoes with self-tightening laces featured in the 1989 film Back to the Future II, but it was not until 2013 that the firm started trying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":199801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=199799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/199801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=199799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=199799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=199799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}