Nike has revealed a pair of US$350 “Back to the Future” sneakers with “power laces” controlled from a phone.

The new Nike Adapt BB are specifically designed for basketball and automatically tighten or loosen with a press of the button either on the shoes themselves or via a smartphone.

Nike has said that users can program different settings that dictate how the laces are tied, such one setting for playing a basketball game and one for just lounging in. The shoes will require charging, and each pair will come with a recharging mat.

“We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes,” says Eric Avar, Nike’s creative director of innovation.

“During a normal basketball game, the athlete’s foot changes and the ability to quickly change your fit by loosening your shoe to increase blood flow and then tighten again for performance is a key element that we believe will improve the athlete’s experience.”

When a player steps into the Nike Adapt BB, a custom motor and gear train senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to keep the shoe snug.

To finalize the design, Nike’s design team invited an elite group of professional players to Nike World Headquarters in Oregon for a run of workouts and pickup games, putting the shoe through an exhaustive trialing period.(SD-Agencies)