Basketball is among the most popular sports in the world and proper footwork is the foundation of the game. With the correct footwork techniques, players can turn entire tournaments around. However, without the right footwear, a player cannot have the swift and coordinated footwork during the game. Professional athletes look for perfect fitting shoes, which also feel comfortable, for their game.

Now, American footwear brand Nike has found a solution to bridge the apparent gap between fit, comfort and utility. The company has launched its most advanced fit solution — Nike Adapt. It is a platform that creates custom fits for shoes by combining an advanced power-lacing system, an app and continually updated firmware. The platform right now is featured in the new Nike Adapt BB basketball shoe.

https://twitter.com/Nike/status/1085182211010134016

Nike Adapt BB is a pair of basketball shoes that are designed in such a way that it adapts to the player’s foot fits right perfect. Furthermore, with help of Nike’s Adapt platform, players can also customise the shoes fit along with other features.

The Tech Behind Nike Adapt BB

The Nike Adapt BB is equipped with a custom motor and gear train that senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to keep the foot snug. While we are talking about the motor that tightens the laces, people might be wondering how strong the laces would be to secure the foot throughout a range of movement. To make it clear, the strength of the underfoot lacing is able to pull 32 lbs. of force, which is equal to a standard parachute cord. Nike has put in a lot of effort to make the shoe as strong and reliable as possible.

Talking about the mobile platform of Nike Adapt BB, if the player wants to have a different fit or tweak the comfort levels, s/he can do so with the companion Adapt app or the two physical buttons on the BB’s midsole. In the app, all s/he needs to do is just change the fit settings and the motor on the shoe will change the lace fits.

For instance, a player can loosen up laces using the app when its timeout and get it tightened when the game is on again. Also, the app provides different lace fit settings such as for warm-ups and practices. That is not all, players can even opt-in to firmware updates for the technology as they become available, sharpening the precision of fit for players and providing new digital services over time.

Talking about charging the shoes, Nike Adapt BB comes with a wireless charger; it is as easy as setting them on the mat and watching the lights change to reflect the shoes’ battery levels. When we are talking about battery and charging, people might be wondering again, “what if the shoes run out of charge when I am wearing it?” So for them, the answer is, even if the battery runs out while you’re wearing them, don’t freak out it. Your shoes will still unlace so you never get stuck.

Furthermore, the American footwear company has let Nike Adapt BB go through a set of tests to make sure the pair shoes and the mobile phone platform. The tests include impact tests, intense temperatures, end-of-life tests that lasted tens of thousands of cycles long, waterproof tests to simulate the sweatiest feet and more.

With so much technology, Nike is definitely going next level. Talking about the shoes and the things that come with the shoes, it includes a QI wireless charging pad, a USB cable/wall charger combo and a starting guide that shows you how to use the Adapt BBs. When you buy a pair shoe you usually don’t expect anything more than an extra pair of laces (that too only if you are lucky enough). However, Nike with this top-tier product, combined with performance and lifestyle gear with technology, is just appealing a lot of people.

Bottom Line

Over the years, technology has showcased its potential of disrupting industries. And today, with Nike’s Adapt BB, the level has reached to a whole new. No wonder, if the technology continues to invade verticals at this speed, things are only going to get better.

Michael Donaghu, Nike’s VP of Innovation, sums it up by saying, “We started this journey in basketball because NBA athletes are some of the most demanding of their footwear. But we’ll be expanding FitAdapt later this year across more performance and lifestyle categories and in even greater quantities. Something tells me, in 5,000 years, shoes without a perfect fit may also be going the way of the horse-drawn carriage.”