Based on the Back to the Future Part II movie of Robert
Zemeckis, when Marty McFly visited 2015 on October 21, there should be toll
roads in the air, flying cars, and also mechanic robots. Even though not all of
predictions were accurate, but some inventors still strive to realize the
vision of the director.
Perhaps there are two futuristic devices from Back to the
Future movie which get the most widely spotlight. The first device is the
hoverboard and the second device is of course a pair of self-lacing Nike sneakers. The laces in these shoes are able to bind themselves after being
used. About four years ago, these shoes were introduced under the name of Nike
Mag 2011, and they were released on a limited basis. Although they looked very
similar, they were actually only replica of the 'Air McFly'.
Then in early 2015, Tinker Hatfield as the designer
discussed the Mag again in the #AgendaEmerge event. There, he and his team
confirmed the effort to work on the sophisticated version of the Air McFly,
complete with the automatic self-lacing feature. Hatfield promised to finish
the project in this year, although he didn't mention the exact date.
It turns out that Nike has a sweet surprise, to coincide
with the moment when Marty McFly steps his feet in the future, or called as
Back to the Future Day by fans, Nike announces that the team has succeeded in
creating the first unit and has sent it to the actor Michael J. Fox.
As Nike, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Mark
Parker put it, “We started creating something for fiction and we turned it into
fact, inventing a new technology that will benefit all athletes.”
Nike explains that Nike Mag's power lace is a combination of
archetype invention with digital technology. Mag has a responsive system; it's
capable of detecting the movements of user and adapts to provide the best
comfort and support.
Interestingly, Mag is only a beginning. Nike seems
interested to implement the technology into a variety of sports, tries to
collect comments and input from the athletes related to the power lace system -
while figuring out the impact and potential that can be opened by the system.
The 2015 Nike Mag will be launched on a limited basis
through an auction in the next year. The entire money will be donated to the
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.