Nike isn’t the only athletic apparel company developing self-lacing sneakers inspired by a nearly 30-year-old movie about the future. Puma has also been working on a concept it calls Autodisc which Engadget recently had the opportunity to check out.
The Puma Autodisc features motors that are built into the shoe’s tongue rather than beneath the soles like on Nike’s HyperAdapt. Internal laces wrap around the front part of the foot with the push of a button on the shoe or from within the companion mobile app (there are three tightness levels).
Unlike the HyperAdapt, the Pumas don’t automatically tighten up when you step into them.
During a brief test, Engadget’s Richard Lai said the Autodiscs felt very much like normal shoes but with the added ability to wrap tighter around his feet.
Puma has reportedly only made 50 pairs to date in black and yellow, many of which have been seeded to renowned athletes. Although Bay McLaughlin, COO and co-founder of Brinc and owner of this pair, didn’t have any additional technical details or a target price point to share, he suspects Puma will likely commercialize the sneakers at some point.
McLaughlin says he has been following the project for more than two years although research and development of the lacing technology dates back nearly a decade.
If / when they do go on sale, odds are they won’t come cheap.
All images courtesy Engadget
https://www.techspot.com/news/66869-nike-isnt-only-one-making-self-lacing-sneakers.html
