Because Humanity Isn't Lazy Enough Already, There Will Now Be Self-Lacing Shoes!

If you're the kind to ensure you catch your daily run, or meet your weekly gym quota, you know how important the right kind of shoes are. And you need specific shoes for your needs.

Well, basketball players may have just got the best footwear they've seen yet.

Images courtesy: Nike

This is the Nike Adapt BB (BB stands for basketball), the company's latest high-tech footwear for both enthusiasts and professional athletes. If they look like they'd be incredibly expensive, you're absolutely right, but they might also be worth every penny.

Firstly, the Adapt BB does what we all dreamed shoes would after watching 'Back to the Future 2'. They lack any laces, and instead scooch inward at the push of a button to hug your feet. It's not just a gimmick for lazy people however, the idea isn't to just have it self-lace.

The Adapt BB actually has a custom motor and gear train that, when you step into the shoe, senses the distribution of tension by your foot. It then adjust accordingly when you activate the power lace, securing your foot from all angles. The shoes also sync with an app on your phone, offering you fine-tuned control over the fit and form (either through the app or by manually touching the shoes). For instance, you can loosen up the shoe with the touch of a button during a break and then tighten back up when getting onto the court, or adjust the fit when your feet swell up from a half hour of dashing back and forth.

The topside black shell Nike says is made of "high-tenacity Flyknit material" something they've commonly used in other shoes till date, while the white inner shell is QuadFit mesh for the best fit. The midsole meanwhile features their Cushlon foam, to reduce the impacts of landing and fast movement.

"We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes,"Nike's VP Creative Director of Innovation Eric Avar said in a blog post. "During a normal basketball game the athlete's foot changes and the ability to quickly change your fit by loosening your shoe to increase blood flow and then tighten again for performance is a key element that we believe will improve the athlete's experience."

And if that wasn't enough, the LEDs on the shoes (that double as the manual buttons) are also customizable through the app, to give you that little bit of added flair when your flying across the court. These, the gear train, motor, and Bluetooth in the shoes are all powered by a built-in battery, pegged to last about 14 days. The device also ships with a wireless charging mat.

Nike says it's continuing development on the shoe's firmware, and will release new fit modes soon. It's basically like the Tesla of shoes now, getting better through software updates rather than just upgrade purchases.

The Adapt BB launches next month for $350 (approximately Rs 24,800). Of course, you can expect them to be more expensive than that whenever they hit Indian stores later.