Scientists test self-tying shoelaces

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.

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.

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Sarah Beth Hensley

Sarah Beth Hensley is the Digital News Director at WTOP. She has worked several different roles since she began with WTOP in 2013 and has contributed to award-winning stories and coverage on the website.

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