WASHINGTON — The self-tying shoelaces from “Back to the Future” may have seemed like science fiction, but laces developed by German scientists could make the fantasy a reality.[related_gallery align=”right”]
Self-tying shoelaces could be in the near future after engineers from Germany’s University of Freiburg designed a shoe that can automatically lace up and adjust to cradle your foot, according to The Daily Mail.
The shoe, which is in a prototype phase, has a motor with a spring in the shoe’s tongue that can tighten or loosen the laces.
The smart shoes don’t even need to be plugged in to work — they run on power generated by the swing of the foot as you walk. The shoes’ power can also be topped up by placing them on a wireless charging mat.
Last year, Nike announced it will introduce its own pair of self-tying “power laces,” but they haven’t hit the market yet.