Nike Finally Made the Self-Lacing Shoes We've Wanted Since Back to the Future

If we go by the timeline set forth in Back to the Future Part II, Nike's new HyperAdapt 1.0 with adaptable lacing is at least a year late. But HyperAdapt will do more than just automatically tighten your laces—sensors in the sole of the shoe will provide a "tailored-to-the-moment" custom fit to maximize comfort and function while you jog, play sports, or navigate through hordes of aloof morons clogging the lanes at your local Trader Joe's.

HyperAdapt is the brainchild of Nike's Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, who are working toward creating a shoe that athletes won't need to worry about so that they can focus their attention on the court, field, track, or elsewhere.

The shoe is controlled by sensor in the heel, which automatically tightens the laces when you put your foot in. There are two buttons on the side for further tightening and loosening. It's unclear whether the shoe can remember your tightness preferences, so you might have to manually readjust them each time you put your shoe on... just like normal laces.

You'll have to be a Nike+ member to buy HyperAdapt 1.0 (you can join here). They'll be available for the 2016 holiday season in three colors, in what appears to be black, white, and gray. No price information is available yet, but here's guessing that you should save up a good amount if you're interested in buying a pair.

HyperAdapt 1.0 is just laying the groundwork for what shoes with this technology should be able to do in the future. And while we may be slightly behind the world Marty McFly saw in Back to the Future, it looks like it could very well be worth the wait.

Images via Nike