When, in Back to the Future II, Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly landed in 2015 (30 years into the future) he is kitted out with what the film’s creators envisioned would be mainstays of 21st century life: a hover board and a futuristic wardrobe that included those self-lacing Nike Mag shoes. Cue 30 years of film fan and sneakerhead anticipation.

Well now the wait is finally over, Nike have made the Nike Mag a reality, complete with self-lacing technology (known as the HyperAdapt). The Mags were first released in 2011 however there was no auto-lacing tech, this new version boasts a fully responsive shoe that senses the wearer and adapts on its own.

The American sportswear brand has teamed up with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to create the limited-edition release of just 89 pairs. Can’t wait to get your hands on a pair? Well, today is the last chance to enter a worldwide draw offering the opportunity to win your very own pair of the Nike Mag (hover board not included, sadly). Nike’s Senior Innovator Tiffany Beers (who has been working on realising the shoes since 2005) talked us through the complex design process behind the shoes.

Alex James Taylor: How long have you been working on the 2016 edition of the Nike Mag?
Tiffany Beers: Just the Nike Mag, about a year. But to build the technology, we’ve been working on it for almost ten years on and off since 2005 but intensely from around 2011 until now. It took so long because we built it for performance and with the hyper-adapt 1.0. We had to make everything small enough and lightweight enough but yet still endurable enough and we were pushing the limits of technology of batteries and motors. 2005 is when Tinker originally asked me to start working on it.

AJT: Can you tell us a little bit more about the technology behind the Hyper Adapt self-lacing concept?
TB: It was interesting because there’s a lace engine in there and that basically controls the system and it pulls the laces but it also senses when your foot goes in, it also gives you light indicators to let you know what’s going on, what battery level you’re at. Once we had that lace engine we had to get the lacing system to work with it, so we reduced the amount of friction and luckily we had Nike Flyweave which came out in 2012 and we had the Flywire which came out in 2008, we mixed the two together and then that was like the magic potion that made everything come together. So it’s very heavily engineered, the cable, the diameter, the size, so with them all integrated together we got a system that worked.

AJT: So where is the battery, where did you hide it?
TB: There’s a rechargeable battery in the shoe, under the foot in the HyperAdapt, it’s under the mid-foot by the arch area. Both systems are rechargeable. The hyperAdapt lasts about two weeks before you have to recharge it, the Nike Mag, if you have the lights on, it only lasts around three hours, but if you turn the lights off it’ll last longer.

AJT: For this new Nike Mag version, is the exterior the same as the original Back to the Future shoe?
TB: Yes it is exactly the same. There’re tiny little manufacturing differences but literally one of the major constraints of the Nike Mag was our promise to keep the exterior exactly like it was in the film, so we replicated that in the 2011 version and then just held strong to it.

AJT: Nike’s Tinker Hatfield designed the original shoe for Back to the Future II. Did he work closely with you on this version?
TB: Yes we worked closely together, these are ultimately his projects so I worked with him and on a weekly basis I’d update him on where we were and any time there was a challenge we would approach him with it and he’d either modify the design or give us suggestions because he’s got tremendous experience. Also Mark Parker (Nike CEO), we met with him many times and he was also integral in the system in making the shoes wearable and breathable and accessible. 

AJT: You’ve been in New York and Hong Kong with people trying on the shoes, what’s the general reaction been from people?
TB: I love it, it’s so cool to watch. Everyone smiles, they react and just can’t believe it actually exists. It’s been tremendous. There’s so much energy and excitement for it. For the full experience you feel it, you see it and you hear it, we’ve not really done that before. 

AJT: And what was the reaction from The Michael J Fox Foundation?
TB: They were thrilled and so honoured that we would do this for them, not only for the foundation and donations, but the fact that this technology can help people with Parkinson’s, it can make their life easier, getting in and out of shoes quickly, because they struggle to tie their shoes and most people with Parkinson’s have to wear slip-ons. Now they can get a bit more performance and a tighter product. 

Enter the draw to win a pair of the Nike Mag here.