Sportswear brand Nike has made a pretty odd announcement which takes footwear tech to the next level. The thing being unveiled is called Project Amplify, and it’s being dubbed as “the world’s first powered footwear”. And the company has made comparisons of its powered footwear to e-bikes.
“Akin to how electric bikes have made it easier to ride farther and more frequently, … Nike is developing Project Amplify to make slower running, jogging and walking easier and more fun”. In other words, it will serve as a second set of calf muscles to help you go that little bit farther, a little bit faster. Worth noting though that the thing has a focus on those running at between six and seven minutes per km.
The Project Amplify device itself looks like an ankle brace attached to a motor and drive belt. Naturally there’s a battery in there, and it doesn’t look like it’s too fussy about what shoe you wear. Nike claims that it’s a “product of extensive testing over several years” involving 400 people and 2.4 million steps. It’s also gone through “more than nine different versions of the hardware” with “each iteration focused on refining a different element of the system”.
All that being said, Project Amplify is still in its testing stage. And it may be there for awhile still. Nike says that it will “bring the footwear system to a broad consumer launch in the coming years”. And since it could still be pretty far away, it’s unclear what form it will actually take when it becomes commercially available.
(Source: Nike)
