For the last 3 years (and much longer from concept-to-product), Nike has been developing a smart shoe with power lacing technology — and next month that shoe’s hitting the market.
But the Nike Adapt BB (for ‘basketball’) isn’t just another gimmick to make Marty McFly fans swoon. It’s the world’s first high-performance, digitally connected shoe.
Described by Nike’s engineers as an “iPhone that lives under your foot,” the shoe is designed (using a mix of sensors, software, and a connected platform) to actively shapeshift the shoe to each player’s needs.
A vice grip for your gourds
The Adapt BB goal will automatically achieve the much-sought-after shoe phenomenon known as “containment”: when the bottom of your foot and the sole of your shoe become one, so you don’t slip or lose energy as you move.
According to Nike, it takes Lebron James 10 minutes to lace his shoes before a game to find the perfect “containment.”
With Adapt BB, you slip your foot inside, press a button, and a series of straps wrap around your foot with up to 32 lbs. of pressure.
Whatchyu gon’ do with all that data?
Per Fast Company, the shoe’s hardware reportedly collects an “unprecedented” amount of data that will allow the next few generations to adapt to your foot in real time, not just through presets.
But, we smell a more ingenious business plan on the horizon: While Nike reps insist they don’t have any present plans to create revenue from Adapt BB, a subscription shoe model seems like a no-brainer in the future.
