The self-tying laces visualised for 2015 in the 80’s time-travel film are somewhat more of a reality today than people might think…
Back to the Future, the film that followed the time-travel adventures of Marty McFly and ‘Doc’ Brown, visualised a host of inventions that were predicted to be around this year. Most of them missed the mark (flying cars!) but some were spot on (video calling).
One of the iconic inventions imagined was a shoe with ‘self-tying laces’, a product – like the hoverboard – that people are supposedly still waiting for. In fact, a new brand on the market in the UK is claiming to have created such a thing.
TrekSta from South Korea has released the Zerotie, a hiking shoe that offers hands-free lace tightening.
It works via a cog on the back of the heel. Slide the heel along the floor and the shoe will tighten. Step on the release buckle on the back and it will loosen.
Yes, it’s not quite as ‘self-tying’ a shoe as the one envisioned in the film, but a large amount of the effort is removed. As such, it makes the Zerotie a useful looking option for anyone who might have knee, back or other problems that make bending down difficult.
The shoes are designed with Gore-Tex waterproofing. They’ll be available in the UK from 15 November for £119.99.
