We probably have all seen Back to the Future II and if you haven't, get thee to a Blockbuster (if you can still find one) or queue it up on Netflix. If you don't know about the movie, it takes place in the year 2015 and, naturally, it is a world full of flying cars and other futuristic gizmos that don't exist yet. Of course, we have 5 years to get our ducks in a line, so I'm sure it won't be a problem.
Blake's first prototype had the servo on the back. The new version is integrated into the heel.
Fortunately, there are people out there who are dedicated to making the gadgets of Back to the Future a reality. The first one - Power Laces! At the beginning of the movie, our protagonist Marty McFly (played by a young Michael J. Fox) puts on some futuristic Nike kicks which automatically lace up. He exclaims, "Power laces! Alright!" With no further ado, check out this awesome project from Blake Bevin.
Call me a bojo (that's the insult of the future), but I will definitely be rocking a pair of these if they ever hit the market. Read more about the shoes here (and feel free to make a contribution towards Blake's goal of having these on the market). Great work, Blake!
kickass! :) +1 for sparkfun community.
I just saw this up on Engadget a few days ago:
Nike files patent for auto-lacing sneakers
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/26/nike-files-patent-for-auto-lacing-sneakers-marty-mcfly-doth-pro/
Hopefully, that doesn't cause any problems for Blake.
After going through the Nike patent, assuming I can raise the funds, I believe the final version mechanism I have in mind will be unique enough to differentiate itself from Nike's patent, along with being more durable and compact.
Make a pair Android Green with some Androids on the and I'm sold! Holy cow I think I had a nerdgasm!
Now all we need is dehydrated pizza, hover boards and skype enabled TV's
Um: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-tv/
As for dehydrated pizza, have you ever had Dominoes?
According to an article I saw in Make some time back, some movie fanatic guy made a hover board :)
Thanks for sharing. My coworker, who is the biggest Back to the Future fan, will love this.