Back to the Future’s Self-Tying Laces Might Soon Be Real
Nike is out to preserve your childhood dreams.
Sometime next year, we can expect Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown to cruise in on their DeLorean, looking to save McFly’s future offspring from incarceration, according to the Back to the Future timeline. So, 26 years later, how does Robert Zemeckis’s vision of 2015 shape up?
Ubiquitous cameras? Check. Video chat? Check. The explosion of plastic surgery? Check. Flying cars? They’re not exactly part of the furniture, but they're on their way.
How about self-tying sneakers? Well, according to Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, their ascent to the market is set to coincide with McFly’s fantastical arrival. “Are we gonna see power laces in 2015? To that, I say YES!” he said during an appearance at Jordan Brand’s Flight Lab Space in New Orleans.
On September 8, 2011, Nike unexpectedly released a limited-edition version of McFly’s high-top, named the MAG. Complete with electroluminescent strap and LED panelling, it was a striking replica. It was also Nike's first-ever rechargeable shoe, with every charge providing five hours’ worth of glow. 'Power laces' were, however, conspicuously absent.
Still, that didn’t stop all 1,500 pairs of MAGs released on eBay from auctioning to the tune of US$6 million. Footwear fanatics, sci-fi fans and celebrities spent up big, with prices starting at $10,000 and ending at $90,000+. Every cent went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for research into Parkinson's Disease.
We know that Nike bought an auto-lacing patent back in 2010, but we’ve no idea how the next round of Back to the Future-inspired sneakers will look. To find out whether or not they’ll come attached to another edition of MAGs, modelled by McFly as he makes his descent, or built into an altogether new model, you’ll have to keep an eye out for the next instalment.
Via SlashFilm.
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