Great Scott! Powerlaced Shoes is Finally a Reality!

Developers can’t seem to resist toying with our emotions and dreams when it comes to faithfully creating some of the iconic gear featured in the Back to the Future flicks. First it was the HUVR, which turned out to be a clever marketing stunt at the cost of Christopher Lloyd and Tony Hawk’s street cred. By the way, Hendo has stepped up to the plate with their own official overboard and word on the street is this is the real McF. . .err McCoy.

It may be several years (if ever) before the dawn of flying cars and virtual sharks will jump from fiction to reality, but powerlaced shoes could be in our hands sooner than we think.

One day, they’ll get it just right. . .

Yeah, Nike technically was first recreating the actual shoe from the film, but they still lack the final touch needed to seal the deal (“Not until 2015.) Lucky for us, a small team of engineers and designers, known as the Powerteam has been beta-testing a new shoe that incorporates some ingenious concepts that actually simulates the effect of hand-free lacing, just like Marty McFly. According to the promotional clip, no motors or circuitry has been included in the design; just a small level that’s located at the lower rear end of the shoe which unlocks the power system. Neat. In essence, the weight of a person’s body is all that’s required to properly to trigger the shoe’s lacing mechanism and off you go. Powerlace Advance shoes are being constructed with the ability to withstand any weather conditions and to essentially be versatile on an indoor/outdoor basis. Unfortunately the shoe isn’t ready for prime-time just yet as the creator Frederick Labbe explains that the system begins to suffer after extensive wear and tear.

However, once the technology is perfected, you could be among one of the many early adopters who could have an authentic hands-free set of kicks; and from there, we would expect Nike and other reputable shoe manufacturers to jump into the mix.

So what do you think? Cool or blah?

Thoughts? Leave a Comment

comments