Can you imagine a world where the wonders of technology will keep us from having to tie our own shoelaces? The Brave New World is closer than you think. Remember the power sneakers that made such a splash in 1989’s Back To The Future II? Twenty-two years later, Nike is thisclose to making the new-fangled sensations a reality. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */ Marty McFly’s famed self-lacing sneakers in the film have inspired Nike to launch their own fashion-forward kicks. The 2011 NIKE MAG is a “precise replica” of the Nike Air 2015 Kicks that Marty (Michael J. Fox) found when he traveled with Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) to 2015. Only 1,500 pairs of the automatic lace-up sneakers will be sold and auctioned on eBay with net proceeds going to The Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund Parkinson’s Disease research. But there’s already widespread chatter that the sneakers will be released commercially for a lot cheaper in 2015. Life imitating art indeed! In Sept. 2010, the footwear/athletic manufacturer filed a patent to produce a collection of high-tech, self-lacing sneakers inspired by Fox’s futuristic box office hit: “…The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper,” the patent read. Nike describes the shoe as “an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel, and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap. The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the ‘ear’ of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge.” Check out how the kicks will work: “…Slip a switch, and the shoe tightens as if you just pulled and tightened conventional laces. The switch activates a motor that rolls or unrolls a spool of wire distributed throughout the shoe. When the spool reels in the wire, the shoe tightens along axis supported by various rods.” The brand has also released promotional pairs of Doc’s metal shield glasses to the media and we’re hoping they’ll also be made available to everyone soon!
