According to a British Daily Mail report, the product released by Nike is a prototype (trial product) named Project Amplify.
The shoes, which were created in collaboration with robotics startup Defi, are characterized by amplifying the user’s leg and ankle movements to increase momentum.
Nike explained about the product, “It helps users walk and run as if they are wearing a second calf muscle.”
The shoes are composed of two parts. The cuff worn around the calf has a built-in rechargeable battery, and the running shoes equipped with carbon fiber plates have light motors.
When a user starts walking, the system detects the movement, reinforcing the momentum and mitigating the landing impact whenever the foot hits the ground.
According to the initial experiment results, the shoes show an improvement in travel efficiency of about 20%. They say they can walk in eight minutes in a section that usually takes 10 minutes.
Some athletes wearing prototypes reportedly responded positively, such as “It feels like a part of the body” and “You can walk like a flatland even on a hillside.”
Nike likened the shoes to an electric bicycle. Just as electric bicycles assist with driving with batteries and motors to facilitate long distances, these shoes make jogging, slow running, and walking easier and more enjoyable. Project Amplify is already well received by experimenters. A GQ official from Fashion magazine who tried on the prototype explained, “It feels like riding an escalator instead of stairs.”
Nike said of the shoes, “It’s not a professional athlete looking to shorten the record, but I want to go further, faster with less effort
It’s a product for ordinary runners,” he explained.
Nike said Project Amplify is still in the testing phase and is aiming to launch to general consumers in 2028.
A photo of Nike’s product on Instagram has generated enthusiastic responses from Internet users. Netizens are posting positive responses such as “It will help active elderly people or disabled people,” and “I will leave even if I don’t want to go to work if I wear this,” as well as negative responses such as “The era of cyborg is here,” and “human beings have become too lazy.”
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
