Health Is Wealth
Posts
Smart sneakers 1984 – 2020: How fiction became reality

Smart sneakers 1984 – 2020: How fiction became reality

January 24, 2020

Have you ever heard of smart health shoes? How fiction became reality ? Nike tell you the answers.

2019: new generation of sports shoes with app connection – Nike Adapt BB

With the Adapt BB, Nike 2019 has launched a new basketball shoe model that can do more than just lace itself up. The Adapt BB adapts in real time to the movements of the athlete and laces the shoe tighter or looser as required. As with the Hyperadapt 1.0 model, manufacturer Nike uses E.A.R.L. technology and built-in micromotors in the sole that adapt the lacing and fit to the shape and activity of the athlete’s feet.

A new feature of the Adapt BB is that the sole is equipped with flashing lights, the color of which can be personalized by the wearer via the app. The direction indicators are also the buttons that the wearer can use to manually operate his shoes. In the new Nike Adapt app (Android | iOS) athletes can choose between 13 colors or switch off the lights to save the battery. In addition, the US sporting goods manufacturer promises that the running shoes can be removed even if the battery runs out during a training session. The smart sneaker batteries from Nike are charged using an induction mat.

The app connection makes the sneaker really smart. It not only allows you to check the battery level, but also to adjust the shoes remotely. Users can save up to three different fits in the app. Athletes benefit from this by changing the tautness of their shoes via smartphone app and simply adapting the shoes to their activity. The new Adapt BB smart sneaker from Nike is currently not yet available in Europe, but will be available on Amazon from $ 775.

Puma launches 2020 smart training shoe with app

Smart shoe from the future: the Puma Fi will be launched in 2020

(Puma)

Like Nike, Puma is launching a self-lacing sports shoe with app control. However, only in spring 2020. The Puma Fi (Fit Intelligence) is a training shoe for fitness and light running training. The motor of the smart Puma sneaker is – not like in the sole of Nike – built into the tab. The athlete can adjust the width of the shoe using a touch sensor on the top of the strap. If the user swipes upwards over the sensor, the laces tighten. If the athlete drives down via the touch sensor, the train relaxes.

For athletes who do not want to bend down, Puma offers the PUMATRAC Training App (Android | iOS). The shoes can then be adjusted individually or in pairs. Particularly smart: The Puma Fi smart sneakers can also be controlled via a smart health watch in an existing Review version, so you can confidently leave your smartphone in your locker or at health home during training.

For the first time, Puma offers technology-loving athletes the opportunity to take a beta Review of the Fi-Smart shoe in order to optimize the technology and the benefits for the consumer. With the collected feedback, Puma wants to develop the best smart sneaker on the market. Interested parties can use the PUMATRAC Training App (Android | iOS) apply for participation in the beta Review.

The motor for the self-lacing mechanism of the smart Puma sports shoe is located on the top of the tab

(Puma)

Adidas already produced smart sneakers in 1984

In 1989 Marty McFly presented his self-lacing sneakers to the world public in the Hollywood film “Back to the Future II”. Adidas had already pioneered intelligent running shoes five years earlier. In 1984, the Herzogenaurach family launched a shoe called Micropacer that counted steps and measured calories burned. The smart sneaker owner could read the results on a display in the flap and was thus informed about the efficiency of his sporting activities.

1986: Puma launched the first sports shoe with a USB interface

In 1986, Puma released its first version of a smart sports shoe. The Puma RS-Computer Shoe could be smart health connected via an interface with the then common computers from Apple, IBM and Commodore in order to evaluate the collected data on the computer. In 2018, Puma launched a limited new edition of the RS computer shoes. More like a collector’s gadget than a marketable smart sneaker. But the remake was equipped with some exciting features: USB interface for charging, Bluetooth connection to the RS computer shoe app, with which the wearer can evaluate the collected data of their shoes and as a special gag: an 8-bit game , The remake of the smart sneaker from the 1980s was in great demand among sneaker enthusiasts. Up to $ 5,000 was offered by collectors on an online auction platform for the remake of the oldschool smart shoes.

“Back to the future” Nike Mag shoe: vision became reality

Cult movie character Marty McFly released the Nike version of a smart shoe in front of an audience of millions in the movie “Back to the Future II” in 1989. The futuristic designed sports shoe laced itself. A function that should remain a long cinema vision. For fans, Nike launched a collector’s edition of the Nike Mag known from the film in 2011 and 2016. In 2011, 1,510 copies were auctioned off, in 2016 only 89 were produced and raffled off for charitable purposes. Only the Nike Mag models from 2016 were equipped with self-binding technology.

Never tie shoes again? This is possible with smart sneakers

(Diignat / Adobe Stock)

2016: Nike introduced the first thinking sports shoe Hyperadapt 1.0

Nike also launched the Hyperadapt 1.0 in 2016. The first really smart, self-lacing shoe. The Hyperadapt 1.0 shoes were equipped with E.A.R.L. technology. E.A.R.L. stands for “Electric Adaptable Reaction Lacing” and not only enables you to lace yourself, but also to adjust the lacing, pressure and fit in real time to the shape of the foot. If the Nike Hyperadapt 1.0 wearer does sports, the shoe also has a lot to do with constantly adapting to the movement sequences of the athlete. E.A.R.L. is started as soon as the athlete’s heel touches a sensor in the sole. Operational readiness is indicated by blue light on the heel lights. For the Nike Hyperadapt 1.0, 700 euros are still due two years after the release in the Nike store.