Nike’s latest creation boasts an exoskeleton designed to provide a performance boost to runners and walkers alike.
Nike claims that the footwear, currently referred to as “Project Amplify,” is the “world’s first powered footwear system.” As you can see in the picture, the footwear is essentially a shoe with an additional exoskeleton for your lower leg and foot. Moreover, the device is powerable, with a motor, a drive belt and a rechargeable battery to provide an artificial boost to your next workout or run.
“[The shoe provides an] unparalleled boost to anyone who wants to move,” while “creating a new future for running, jogging and walking,” Nike said in a release.
The company compares the project to “how electric bikes have made it easier to ride farther and more frequently,” suggesting it’s less of an adaptive device for people with mobility challenges and more of a cheat code for runners who want to shave seconds off their mile time. One reviewer said that “The Amplify makes your 5K PR feel like a casual trot, and a casual trot feel like a gentle stroll.” Nike plans to bring the footwear system to a widespread consumer launch in the coming years.
Dr. Silverman Comments
If this permits people who couldn’t walk for exercise the ability to walk, this is a good thing.
If this allows you to climb and hike inclines that you wouldn’t normally be able to do without becoming exhausted and it becoming unsafe, this is a good thing.
If people are using the device to run longer distances more safely and to use this mobility as a means of travel instead of driving, this is a good thing.
If people are using it to make their 5K easier and faster, this is not a good thing.
If your reason for wearing these shoes is rooted in health, enhanced mobility or safety, then these shoes may truly serve a great purpose for you. If you’re slipping them on for purely selfish reasons or to cheat a bit during a workout, that’s a problem. You wouldn’t enter a triathlon with an electric bike, so don’t use these shoes as an easy way to avoid earning the health benefits of exercise. It will be interesting to see if the public is intrigued by this shoe when it hits the market, or if it is largely passed over by the masses.
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