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Nike’s auto-laced future
- nopacience 8y agoNot for me. I prefer manual shoe lace. Sometimes i think the world is going dumb
- hooloovoo_zoo 8y agoWould a player trip if their shoe was hacked to suddenly release tension?
- vinay427 8y agoPerhaps, though it's likely still better than a shoelace untying, which leaves the player with a dangling lace that can easily cause a trip.
- choward 8y agoThat's impossible according to this naive part of the article. > When you pair, you’re linking your shoes directly to your Nike+ account, so there is no chance of anyone either connecting to or controlling your shoes
- jzwinck 8y agoI'm surprised a sport like basketball would allow players to wear apparel which improves their performance using electronics and a motor.
- droopyEyelids 8y agoMy read was that it'll improve safety and recovery more than enhance performance.
- kingosticks 8y agoComing from someone who doesn't watch any basketball, are there many incidents involving shoes coming off or becoming loose? Is the safety argument real?
- vinay427 8y agoThis is addressed somewhat in the article: > Players, for example, will tell you that after about a half hour on the court, their feet will swell, sometimes up to a half size. This changes their comfort level significantly. So they have a choice: either play with their shoes too loose for 30 minutes or tighten them enough to be painful by halftime. Not with an adjustable shoe.
- PakG1 8y agoWhy not just retie the shoelaces at halftime?
- tempestn 8y agoThey probably do, but they're already painful by then.
- kingosticks 8y agoSo the safety argument isn't real then. It's a comfort argument.
- jkaplowitz 8y agoMisadjusted shoes can cause injury, whether too loose or too tight. It's a safety issue.
- PakG1 8y agoSeems like it could be the same thing, at least that's what McGwire said to himself to justify to himself that it was OK to juice up. McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte did two years ago, when he admitted using HGH. "During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too." http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=4816607 http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=4816607
- everyone 8y agoI was thinking that if it achieves the exact same tightness and fit consistently every time that could be very helpful. I have no idea about basketball but for mountaineering I sometimes re-lace my boots a few times after putting them on to get the tightness just right in the various places, and the same on both feet.
- Lazare 8y agoInteresting 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.
- thatoneuser 8y agoPeople wanna feel smart. That's all this really is. Sneakers intimidate people's intelligence, hello 2019
- tomcam 8y agoFor 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.
- User23 8y agoThere's a lot to be said for having a cobbler make custom shoes for you, if one is available. Also, your mileage may vary, but my ankle instability was greatly improved by a basic "Starting Strength" style workout routine. I went from tripping over my own wobbly feet to lifting 300+ lbs on my back in just over a year. I've never had any notable ankle instability since.
- PudgePacket 8y agoIf you lose wifi will you be unable to take your shoe off ?
- Lazare 8y ago1) They use bluetooth, not wifi. 2) They're actually designed to work in situations where you don't even have your phone as a primary use case. So no, of course not. That was actually a major point made early on in the article. If you'd even skimmed the article, you'd have seen the answer to your question. :)
- pferde 8y agoThe worrying thing is that this is even a question.
- benj111 8y agoDenial of Shoe attack.
- sdrothrock 8y agoIt'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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Wa5L-fkkM [2] https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/05/nike-mag-first-look/ https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/05/nike-mag-first-look/
- TeMPOraL 8y agoAutolacing in Back to the Future didn't require you to download vendor's app and connect to an account on vendor's service over the Internet. That would be my one and only criticism of this implementation. Beyond that, it's pure awesomeness, and I want a pair.
- std_throwawayay 8y agoIt lacks blockchain technology. Given the development cycles in play for such consumer products the blockchain support will probably come two weeks after bitcoin disintegrated.
- StavrosK 8y agoAlso it didn't make the shoe useless when the battery went bad.
- Wowfunhappy 8y agoIf the battery is high quality and a single charging cycle lasts a week, as claimed, I imagine the battery would last well past the usable life of the shoe.
- Xylakant 8y agoThese shoes don’t either. They can be operated manually, as the article states. They have a built-in Sensor and auto-lace when you put them on. You just cannot have some of the nice things that the app brings: multiple different profiles, ...
- mpolichette 8y agoPut it in ski boots... done and done, I’d buy it right away
- rhcom2 8y agoAlso a dream for me. The lacing system in these sneakers sounds similar to a snowboard boot's Boa system so I could imagine this tech quickly applied to those but a ski boot seems much more difficult.
- akurilin 8y agoI was just going to say, I've always had a good experience with Boa systems on snowboarding boots, even though people claim they break regularly. Surprised they didn't get adopted by the sneaker industry. I'm guessing it's either too expensive, or too bulky for them, until now at least. Edit: Actually, turns out they have been already used in sports shoes, go figure! The aesthetics don't quite seem exquisite, but the functionality seems to be all there.
- beefalo 8y agoThey are pretty common on golf shoes now
- arethuza 8y agoMountain walking/climbing boots as well - adjusting laces in bad weather if you have gaiters, over-trousers and crampons on can be a nightmare. Mind you they'd have to have a reliable fall-back so they still work and are adjustable if (when) the power fails. Edit: I was actually thinking last weekend when I think I over tightened my laces on my boots and my feet got quite sore that strain gauges in boots/laces might be a good thing!
- dogma1138 8y agoReplace the laces with 2-4mm bungee cord and you are set for life. That was a pretty common trick for combat boots before the laced + side zipper boots became more popular.
- ksec 8y agoMay 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.
- bibyte 8y agoFor what it's worth I agree with you about the IoT. But I don't think it will stop. At this point it feels almost inevitable.
- pferde 8y agoThe system used on Salomon running shoes is rather good - ever since I tried it, I feel like the traditional shoe laces are cumbersome. https://www.salomon.com/en-us/blog/how-to-use-the-salomon-quicklace-system https://www.salomon.com/en-us/blog/how-to-use-the-salomon-qu...
- tempestn 8y ago> 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.
- pferde 8y ago1 d0n'7 kn0w wh47 y0u'r3 741k1n9 480u7.
- jamilbk 8y agoWhen 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).
- raverbashing 8y agoReally, apart from Zippers and Velcro, clothing fastening technology seems to be stuck in the 19th (or maybe earlier than that) century Yes I want self-tightening shoes, continuous belts (some exists, or close enough solutions, but still with the buckle), self-adjusting and tightening wrist bands, etc And don't get me started on "button down" shirts, I actively prefer those with the rivet type fastener because at least they're trying
- justtopost 8y agoRivet fasteners are great for doing a hulk impression as they all pop open. Less useful if you are an able-bodied adult who does more than sit or walk slowly throughout the day.
- raverbashing 8y agoI never had them pop unexpectedly in me, and I prefer less formal attire when doing physical activities
- leowoo91 8y agoI think one of the things make a suit 'prestigious' is that it requires effort and time.
- vezycash 8y agoJackie Chan's suit in Tuxedo looked prestigious enough.
- maaaats 8y agoThis 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.
- stuartw1 8y agoNext 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.
- alexis_fr 8y agoand we may revoke you right to wear shoes if you get upset with what your wife asks you to do, as per our no-bullying policy.
- wumms 8y ago> 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.
- ykevinator 8y agoThis is comfort tech designed to pull dollars from the poorest among us.
- forkLding 8y agoI'm interested in buying these shoes as a consumer, auto-lacing actually seems like a wonderful app even though it does sound like overkill
- scottlocklin 8y agoWhen 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.
- subsubsub 8y agoYou were supposed to be the generation that made those things.
- scottlocklin 8y agoBe happy with your plastic moccasins, prozac and pornography, citizen.
- aboutruby 8y agoDid you expect to have most of the information in the world available on demand? Anywhere? And be able to communicate with anybody anywhere? I guess it's hard predicting the future http://www.paulgraham.com/ecw.html http://www.paulgraham.com/ecw.html
- scottlocklin 8y agoI definitely expected to be able to talk to a computer like in star trek and have it synthesize me an answer, yes. I didn't anticipate it would be delivered using a markup language via a centralized solution, nor that it would be cluttered up with ads and irrelevant marketing bilge or press releases in nonsense like modern online magazines.
- Retra 8y agoMost of the information is not available on demand, but only if you have the requisite credentials.
- tossaccount123 8y ago60 million in funding for nuclear fusion vs 2 trillion in spending on welfare and entitlements annually Bread and circus rather than progress is the establishments top priority The tragedy is that nearly all of the problems we currently face would already be solved if we just invested in our future. NASA used to get 4.5% of our federal budget invested in it, now it's .3%. We used to invest $3 into research or infrastructure for every $1 in entitlements, now we spend $5 in entitlements for every 1$ invested in our future.
- theNJR 8y agoI sort of want a pair of these.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Invictus0 8y agoAutolacing 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.
- foreigner 8y agoThis was my first thought as well. How is it the article doesn't mention weight at all? Still I imagine it wouldn't be that hard to move the weight out of the shoe. The shoe could expose a cord that you hook in to a separate machine to provide the force for tightening.
- jarvuschris 8y agoThat loses one of the big benefit though: being able to take breaks from the tight lace and restore it easily on the go I can't imagine the weight couldn't be cut down to the same order of magnitude you're looking at for a shoe with strong support anyway.
- foreigner 8y agoThe application here is professional sports. In that context every tiny bit of weight matters. And they're not really "on the go" - they could just keep the machine on the sidelines.
- jessriedel 8y agoMany 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-snowboard-boot/W19-150861.html 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.
- yters 8y agoWe are unable to mechanically amplify force without the internet of things. Sorry Archimedes.
- Marsymars 8y agoThere exist plenty of non-snowboard boots with the Boa system. For instance, Boa's running shoe category: https://www.boafit.com/category/run https://www.boafit.com/category/run I've had some Boa snowboard boots, and they've been good, but I've transitioned to non-ratcheting/non-metal quicklace systems. I find them somewhat more durable and easier to make fine adjustments to, while being nearly as quick/easy to use.
- ewokone 8y agoHey marsi, Which shoes did you transfer to?
- Marsymars 8y agoCurrently the Burton Driver X. I don't ride park, and like them a lot.
- stinos 8y agoeasier to make fine adjustments to Experienced the same. Boa is pretty good, but it seems to tighten almost uniformly along the length of the cable. Which is probably ideal if your boot has a perfect fit to your foot, but otherwise becomes a pain in the, eh, foot. I have problems with pressure on the top of my feet and with the boa system it seems there's either too much pressure there or not tight enough around the legs. Might be resolved by finding the proper fit but laces are really more forgiving when it comes to that.
- jarvuschris 8y agoThis 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
- gnarcoregrizz 8y agoYou want running shoes to be as light as possible. The book the sports gene went over how slender ankles (less weight on the feet) is a significant factor in running performance and potential. I don't think adding a motor and batteries to a runner's shoes will help them, unless they're looking to get more of a workout over the same period of time.
- Wowfunhappy 8y agoI'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?
- ansible 8y agoThat sort of charging system as weight and complexity. And it's it fails, the shoe doesn't work. If a kid's shoes don't light up, they still function as shoes.
- Wowfunhappy 8y agoI suppose it all depends on how much weight and complexity. To me, the need to remember to charge my shoes makes the whole thing a nonstarter.