Nike unveils the Adapt platform and the Nike Adapt BB
After much anticipation, Nike recently announced and unveiled the Nike Adapt platform and the first ever shoe to have the tech – the Nike Adapt BB.
Getting the right fit from a performance shoe is both personal and complicated. Take basketball for example – over the course of a game, the foot can expand almost half a size during play. A shoe may feel comfortable at first but may feel constrictive soon after. Achieving the perfect fit is and will always be a struggle, especially when each and every individual’s feet are different. Over the course of Nike’s history, they’ve created some of the most innovative tech to find that custom fit – Huarache, Flywire, and Flyknit to name a few. In 2016, Nike unveiled the HyperAdapt 1.0, the first Nike multipurpose performance shoe to feature power lacing.
Today, Nike unveiled Nike Adapt – a platform that can create that custom fit via an advanced power-lacing system and an app that updates the fit exactly to the user’s needs. The tech is first tried and tested on the new Nike Adapt BB basketball shoe. Nike is quite clearly trailblazing here with this new design of footwear and they’re sure to fly off the shelves as soon as they’re available. Those looking to buy a pair of Nike shoes may want to first see if there is a Nike promo code available to get a discount on their purchases. Grabbing a bargain is a great feeling, so definitely check out the Raise website for coupons and promo codes.
“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 VP 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.”
The Nike Adapt BB features a custom motor and gear, which senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to give that snug fit. The tensile strength of the underfoot lacing is able to pull 32 pounds of force to secure the foot throughout a range of movement.
Soon after, that’s where the paired app comes into play. The FitAdapt tech via the Nike Adapt app on a smartphone, you can input different fit settings during different moments of a game. The app can even create different tightness settings, whether you want it loose during timeouts, or tight enough during warm-ups. Players can opt in to firmware updates for the FitAdapt technology as they become available.
Similar to the HyperAdapt 1.0, the Nike Adapt BB was put through a gauntlet of tests, including impact tests, intense temperatures, end-of-life tests that lasted tens of thousands of cycles long, waterproof tests to simulate the sweatiest feet and more.
Here’s how Nike researchers put a typical Adapt BB through its paces to make it the most tested shoe in Nike’s history:
The ultimate stamp of approval still needed to come from players in the highest levels of the sport. Over the summer, Nike worked with Jayson Tatum along with other NBA athletes such as De’Aaron Fox, Luka Doncic and a couple others and put the Adapt BB to the test.
“Bill Bowerman’s original insight was that fit is the foundation of athletic performance,” says Avar. “The Nike Adapt BB helps the athlete find their custom fit and provides uncompromising lockdown, feel and traction throughout a game, but we knew it would only be validated once the game’s best players tried it out.”
As the FitAdapt system hones the quality of fit in basketball, the next step will be to bring FitAdapt to other sports and lifestyle products, each with unique demands for fit in different environments.
The Nike Adapt BB is slated to drop this February during All-Star Weekend. The shoe is slated to retail for Php 17,495 and will be available via Titan (Two Parkade/Online) and Nike Park (Fort). Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.
