I prefer lacing my own shoes personally.
I prefer lacing my own shoes personally.
This reminds me of when USA spent billions of dollars on R&D to have a ballpoint pen work in outer space, while Russia cosmonauts just used pencil.
Worthless expenditures wrote:
This reminds me of when USA spent billions of dollars on R&D to have a ballpoint pen work in outer space, while Russia cosmonauts just used pencil.
That never actually happened. It's something 7th graders tell each other.
Did you think that was a real thing?
But of course the urban elites who desire to be trendy will spend their bloated incomes on this gratuitous luxury of vanity.
Personally, I am going to tie my own shoes and buy an extra dozen or so cases of beer with that much money.
This idea is indeed idiotic for Nike's intended market. However, it might be a great invention for seniors and the disabled. I don't understand why it costs so much or took so long. Presumably it's a battery, motor, cable and tension sensor.This seems like something mechanical engineering undergrads at a good school could design as a project in one semester.
Not a cool demographic wrote:
This idea is indeed idiotic for Nike's intended market. However, it might be a great invention for seniors and the disabled. I don't understand why it costs so much or took so long. Presumably it's a battery, motor, cable and tension sensor.This seems like something mechanical engineering undergrads at a good school could design as a project in one semester.
I think the engineering problem is the lifetime cycle. Shoes get pretty abused over the months. For a few days, anything could do, but once they're some weeks old, the system still needs to function.
Hiya folks wrote:
Worthless expenditures wrote:This reminds me of when USA spent billions of dollars on R&D to have a ballpoint pen work in outer space, while Russia cosmonauts just used pencil.
That never actually happened. It's something 7th graders tell each other.
Did you think that was a real thing?
People, I think it's time I teach LetsRun.com etiquette as we have a generation of posters that don't know proper etiquette. Cite sources like you would in a research paper.
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.aspNew pair every couple of weeks wrote:
I think the engineering problem is the lifetime cycle. Shoes get pretty abused over the months. For a few days, anything could do, but once they're some weeks old, the system still needs to function.
I agree after thinking about it more. All the gear is likely underfoot where an SS or Al case isn't acceptable. Battery life might be an issue too. A piezoelectric charger in the heel would really be cool.
rojo wrote: Cite sources like you would in a research paper.
Not sure I would cite Snopes.com in a research paper, but the point is taken.
From a technology perspective, Nike had to engineer several substantial breakthroughs to pack a complex electro-mechanical mechanism into the body of the shoe -- including motors, pulleys, cords, electronics and buttons -- that would work reliably under the pounding and shock the shoes will experience over their lifetime. Each shoe contains a pressure sensor in the heel that initiates the self-lacing process when you stand up. Next, an array of sensors determines your foot position, and a series of pulleys wind up a filament to tighten the shoe around your foot. Buttons allow you to override the system and set the pressure to your own preference. After a few uses, the shoe will automatically go to your preferred setting.
Like most electric devices, each shoe requires a battery, and these need to be recharged every couple of weeks. Indicator lights on the side of the shoe let you know the state of charge: blue for full, yellow for half, and red for recharge. To charge them, you use the provided white "puck."
These shoes took about eleven years to produce -- you're paying for all that R&D.
Not surprisingly, Nike is not alone in producing this concept. Puma's Autodisc shoes are another self-lacing idea that's nearing production. They tighten with the press of a button -- and have a companion app. The app connects with Bluetooth, records the tightness settings, and provides a low battery alert. The Autodiscs have the motors in the tongue rather than in the soles, allowing them to behave more like regular shoes.
No price has been announced yet for the Pumas, but you can expect them to be similarly expensive.
Hiya folks wrote:
Worthless expenditures wrote:This reminds me of when USA spent billions of dollars on R&D to have a ballpoint pen work in outer space, while Russia cosmonauts just used pencil.
That never actually happened. It's something 7th graders tell each other.
Did you think that was a real thing?
That was an Allen Greenspan policy to deflate our currency and grow the economy.
There is no such thing as governmental waste
If there would be no waste, we would be a consumer nation as no one would be able to purchase any goods from us
Ballpoint pen issue was discussed in the White House
Ingenious !!!
Solving a non-existent problem wrote:
I prefer lacing my own shoes personally.
Actually this is a problem for older folks who have had hip operations. My mother has had both hips done and can no longer tie her shoe laces and just wears slip-ons, when she saw that Nike was making these she immediately wanted them.
Waste Of Money Brains And Time wrote:
But of course the urban elites who desire to be trendy will spend their bloated incomes on this gratuitous luxury of vanity.
I'd suggest you reevaluate the demographics of those buying the majority of trendy Nike sneakers percentage-wise. Otherwise, you're going to continue to look silly.
rojo wrote:
People, I think it's time I teach LetsRun.com etiquette as we have a generation of posters that don't know proper etiquette. Cite sources like you would in a research paper.
Roger that, rojo. You can teach us how to cite sources just as soon as we can teach you how to spell, build reasonably-constructed sentences, and avoid wholesale manhandling of the English language in general.
These are nothing more than a ploy to put nike in the news. The entire project falls in to their advertising budget. They don't care if people buy them
Is there a rule against attaching a helium balloon to yourself while running a road race?
How rare is it to run a sub 5 minute mile AND bench press 225?
Jakob Ingebrigtsen has a 1989 Ferrari 348 GTB and he's just put in paperwork to upgrade it
Am I living in the twilight zone? The Boston Marathon weather was terrible!
Move over Mark Coogan, Rojo and John Kellogg share their 3 favorite mile workouts
Mark Coogan says that if you could only do 3 workouts as a 1500m runner you should do these