 |
Nike's Air Kicks Back To The Future Power Laces
Air Kicks were first activated more than 20 years ago in Back to the Future II, but inventor Blake Bevin created her own version earlier this year (see Power Laces From Back To The Future 2 ).
(Blake Bevin and her Power Laces)
Now, she has version 2.0 of her Nike Air Kick's going; take a look at this short video to see how they work; also, compare them to the Power Laces V. 10 .
(Blake Bevin's Nike Air Kicks verson 2.0)
The area of self-lacing shoes is heating up with news that Nike has actually applied for a patent on this technology, a kind of automatic fastening system. Ms. Bevin is unperturbed.
The Bevin 2.0 version takes the original concept's bulky exterior motor and fits it into the heel."I don't want to give too much away, but I believe my version will offer more efficiency, along with being more flexible in the type of shoe it can be adapted for," she said.
Ms Bevin has set up an account at micro-capital site Kickstarter.com to convince investors that version 2.0 is worth a shot and given herself until October 11 to raise $25,000.
She said rather than being daunted by Nike's moves to patent Air Kicks, it was encouraging to know she was working on a viable product.
"It proves the 'big boys' have been thinking about such a product as well," she said.
"Plus, the mechanism showed in their patent, while similar to a Power Laces Version 2.0 prototype I just built, is completely different than the final version I have in mind for a marketable product."
Via News.com.au. Thanks for the tip, Fortigurn!
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 8/31/2010)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion (Back On) ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Clothing ")
Superomniphobic Fabrics Are Super Clean
'Most gentlemen's and ladies' gloves nowadays were constructed of infinitesimal fabricules that knew how to eject dirt...'- Neal Stephenson, 1995
Sean Jean 'Fashion Video Name Tag' Fleece
Why not a display to go with your sleeve communicator? Murray Leinster would have been down with it.
Body Scanner May Improve Online Shopping
'...the tailor pulled out a number of slotted arms terminating in little discs...'- H.G. Wells, 1899.
Smart Bra From First Warning Systems
'...a delicate current is sent ... to an amplifier and a certain sound is made, and the nurse will properly react...'- David H. Keller, 1928.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
MIT Robot Cheetah Video Shows Gait Transition
'The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah's.'
TrackingPoint Smart Rifle
Not your typical 'smart bullet' approach.
'Hello, Computer!' Google Now Highlighted at IO13
'Hello, computer!'
Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement
'George Walt's corporate existence proved the workability of wholly mechanical organs...'
Personal Sniffer Robots
'...The ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound.'
Physical Exam? We've Got Apps
See the future of handheld, personal medical devices.
The Interplanetary Internet, Vint Cerf Speaking
'This was the center of Interplanetary Communications.'
Drosophila Robotica, The Mechanical Fly
'... the Scarab [flying robot] buzzed into the great workroom as any intruding insect might...'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'
Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan
Let's make the Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed!
Samsung Smart TVs With Gesture Control
'He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
Swiss HCPVT Giant Photovoltaic 'Flower'
'...leaning against one of the slender stalks of a sunshade-photocell collector.'
Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer
Organleggers may experience an employment downturn.
Smartphone Sensor System Tracks Gunfire
'Sound trackers on the roof could zero in on weapons action...'
Bacteria Now Make Biofuel Like Oil
'They have ... germs that eat pretty near anything, and produce oil as a waste product.'
