As workout studios close their doors amid a global pandemic, people are left with one of the cheapest and easiest ways to break a sweat: running.
But just because you know you could be running, doesn’t mean you’ll actually go out and jog. That’s where a new Nike-funded research team comes in. They want to help people struggling to go the distance — and invented a wearable ankle “exoskeleton” that makes running 14 PERCENT EASIER AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT compared to normal running shoes.
It’s never a good sign when the masses wonder whether your latest product is really an April Fool’s Joke. (Looking at you, Creme Egg Mayo.)
Heinz and Cadbury weren’t the only ones to launch a highly mockable product. For your reading pleasure, we’ve rounded up a shortlist of this year’s worst design fails. In no particular order, here are the products that most invite the question, why?
Hands-on with Nike’s self-lacing, app-controlled sneaker of the future.
Say hello to Adapt BB.
I flew across the country to Portland to experience the Adapt BB, Nike’s new self-lacing, Bluetooth-enabled sneakers, but the guy showing me around campus is wearing a pair of Zoom Flys that refuse to stay tied. Within 10 minutes of tying them, they’re untied again, flailing all over. I hate when people point out my untied shoes, but his feel intentional. Of course I notice the laces. Of course I point them out. He laughs and swears he’s not doing this on purpose, that Nike hasn’t deliberately set up my visit with a scene out of an infomercial fail.
The Adapt BB — the BB stands for “basketball” — build on Nike’s decades-long dream to create an auto-lacing smart shoe that adapts to wearers’ feet. The company wants to fundamentally change footwear and, of course, sell more shoes.
Imagine: your feet swell during a basketball game because you’ve been running back and forth on the court, and your sneakers detect your blood pressure. Instead of reaching down and untying your laces, the shoes loosen automatically. Never again will you have to fuss around with your laces because, guess what, your shoes already know what you want to do.
There is a sexy image of an entrepreneur as someone toiling away in a garage, tinkering full time on their new venture, or joyously yet feverishly staying up until 3 a.m. working on their latest innovation or iteration of their product.
We love to celebrate these fantasy risk-takers and breakthrough-makers, ones who put it all on the line and then cash in big.
NikeFuel allows fitness enthusiasts to compare their performance and daily routines across multiple disciplines.
Nike+, Nike’s online platform for tracking personal exercise logged with a FuelBand, SportWatch or Nike+ fitness app, now has over 18 million members worldwide.
Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nike trainers from Back to The Future Part 2 were the envy of 1980s school boys. Now versions of the famous futuristic sneakers are being made available to buy.
