from Hacker News

Nike’s auto-laced future

by Rifu on 1/18/19, 3:28 AM with 99 comments

  • by sdrothrock on 1/19/19, 7:47 AM

    It's interesting to me that this gets lampooned, but the autolacing shoes in Back to the Future[1] (and the release of actual shoes a few years back[2]) was greeted with awe and cheers. Different crowds, maybe?

    [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Wa5L-fkkM

    [2] https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/05/nike-mag-first-look/

  • by Lazare on 1/19/19, 7:25 AM

    Interesting topic. Like a lot of things, it's easy and enjoyable to unload some quick snark on Twitter, and certainly anything even related to IoT is a worthy target of all the snark we can muster 99.9% of the time.

    On the other hand, the article points out that pro athletes have different needs than others, and these shoes (arguably!) address those needs in ways that other options do not. Also, the implementation isn't as dumb as the cynical might have assumed.

  • by jessriedel on 1/19/19, 4:06 PM

    Many modern snowboard boots have a pretty impressive ratchet system with steel laces that allows me to get a very tight fit easily (no yanking on laces required), with instant push-button release.

    https://www.burton.com/us/en/p/mens-burton-photon-boa-snowbo...

    It's unclear to me whether basketball shoes lack this system for good ergonomic/structural reasons or because of marketing/style/tradition.

  • by tomcam on 1/19/19, 7:35 AM

    For me it's not overkill at all. It makes perfect sense on the safety/medical benefits alone. I walk two hours a day. In my prime I ran 5 miles or more/day and biked three times that. My feet pronate and I have to wear orthotic insoles.

    For whatever reason I've never been able to keep my shoes stable. They either start too tight and have to be adjusted or are a little too lose, thus reducing ankle stability. I would welcome these on strictly utilitarian benefits. Since I spend $300 every six months on shoes that don't wreck what's left of my fallen arches, this would be a lateral move financially anyway, I suspect.

  • by mpolichette on 1/19/19, 8:17 AM

    Put it in ski boots... done and done, I’d buy it right away

  • by tempestn on 1/19/19, 8:52 AM

    > Nike rival Adidas is pursuing the goal in a different way, using interwoven textiles and self-tightening weaves in its N3XT L3V3L basketball shoe.

    Emphasis mine. People scoff at a phone-connected shoe (which actually sounds pretty useful for the pro basketball application as described), but I think we can all agree this is worse.

  • by scottlocklin on 1/19/19, 3:10 PM

    When I was a kid I expected us to have controlled fusion power plants, hovercraft and Gerald O'Neal space colonies by now.

    Instead we have soylent, a nightmare corporate-government surveillance dystopia and ... plastic moccasins, and I'm supposed to be impressed.

  • by jamilbk on 1/19/19, 10:26 AM

    When a shoe becomes untied, will it auto-lace as I’m walking?

    And why stop at shoes? Bring on the auto-lacing corsets, self-buttoning shirts, and auto-adjusting belts (useful for large meals).

  • by jzwinck on 1/19/19, 7:20 AM

    I'm surprised a sport like basketball would allow players to wear apparel which improves their performance using electronics and a motor.

  • by hooloovoo_zoo on 1/19/19, 7:30 AM

    Would a player trip if their shoe was hacked to suddenly release tension?

  • by Invictus0 on 1/19/19, 4:03 PM

    Autolacing is a fundamentally bad idea. It means that each step will be weighed down by a motor, battery, and radio that are used only for a second when you put on the shoe. It's like everyone forgot that Nike has been marketing lighter shoes since their inception.

  • by maaaats on 1/19/19, 10:32 AM

    This lacingpattern looks like the same used on bicycle shoes for some years. For an example see "shimano rc9". Not adjusted by a motor, though.

    Think it's called Boa lacing.

  • by forkLding on 1/19/19, 3:08 PM

    I'm interested in buying these shoes as a consumer, auto-lacing actually seems like a wonderful app even though it does sound like overkill

  • by Wowfunhappy on 1/19/19, 8:11 PM

    I'm kind of disappointed you need to charge these. I was hoping the battery could charge itself via energy generated while walking, like those light up shoes children wear. Would that not have been practical?

  • by ykevinator on 1/19/19, 2:48 PM

    This is comfort tech designed to pull dollars from the poorest among us.

  • by jarvuschris on 1/19/19, 7:20 PM

    This would be awesome for casual runners too, not just pro/semi-pro basketball players.

    If you're doing distance training good and consistent lacing can be essential to your health

  • by wumms on 1/19/19, 1:47 PM

    > One of the most exciting ancillary effects of a self-lacing shoe is assistance that it can give people with fine motor skills or mobility issues.

    That's good.

  • by ksec on 1/19/19, 8:40 AM

    May be in a few years time I will start something call Analog. Which is to sell anything that isn't Digital. Seriously I think the world is getting a little.... too digital in everything. ( I know this may be unpopular on HN )

    I want to simplified the tightening lace, but it doesn't have to be auto. May be in a Pull Lever like mechanics.

    When will someday people gets to hack the system and tightening up your lace just for fun? Would I have to update my shoes firmware as well. Or many of the Internet of Things we are going to have in the next 10 years.

  • by theNJR on 1/19/19, 3:41 PM

    I sort of want a pair of these.

  • by PudgePacket on 1/19/19, 7:37 AM

    If you lose wifi will you be unable to take your shoe off ?

  • by stuartw1 on 1/19/19, 12:23 PM

    Next disruption:

    All new shoes come with 30 days free lacing on creation of an account. Lacing feature billed at $9.99 monthly unless cancelled. Model specific variable tightness DLC pack not included.

    Wearing this shoe constitutes consent to our data sharing and privacy policy and acceptance of binding arbitration agreement.