The Nike Go FlyEase shoe is the company’s first hands-free shoe.
Nike
Screenshot of Nike video by Leslie Katz / CNET
Nike is making a new model of sneaker with hinges, created so that users can enter it without using their hands.
The Nike Go FlyEase sneaker, unveiled on Monday, is part of the company’s FlyEase line. The line allows users to use one or none of their hands to put on their shoes, whether the person has special needs, is simply in a hurry or with their hands busy.
A video posted by the company shows how a hinge embedded in the shoe without lace allows it to curve in an open position so that the user can enter. The user then lowers the heel to safely close the shoe. To remove the shoe, the user presses the heel with the opposite foot.
“I usually spend a lot of time getting into the place,” said Italian Paralympic fencer Bebe Vio in a statement. “With Nike Go FlyEase, I just need to put my feet inside and jump on it. Sneakers are a new type of technology, not just for adaptable athletes, but for everyone’s real life.”
A critic of Fast Company notes that users will not feel the hinge, which is hidden under the shoe’s insole, and that a tension strap keeps the hinge in place while the shoe is being worn.
The photos shared by Nike show three color options – an almost all black shoe with dark blue details; a shoe made in black, purple, orange, gray and blue stripes; and a shoe in light green, blue, pink and white.
The shoes will sell for $ 120 (about £ 88, AU $ 157). As of February 15, “selected Nike members” in North America, Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Africa will be invited to purchase them, Business Insider reports, and eventually the shoes will be more widely available.