Back to the Future fan Blake Bevin invents working power laces prototype

IT MAY not be Back to the Future Day, but power laces are here.

They're real, get excited.

"The project had been on my mind since I had a Back to the Future marathon a few months ago," inventor Blake Bevin said.

"It is a ritual I repeat every year or two. Work has been boring lately and so I thought I'd dust out the ol' workshop and get started on something.

"The power laces stuck out as something that would be fun and geeky and I was sure there were other nerds out there that would appreciate it."

Ms Bevin, a self proclaimed "science geek", has created a prototype of self-lacing shoes, inspired by Marty McFly's Nike Air 2015 Kicks.

It's quite a simple operation - when you step into the shoe, a sensor records the pressure of your foot on the sole and activates two servo motors, which apply tension to the laces, thus tightening the shoe.

A touch-activated switch reverses the servos and loosens the laces.

However, it may be some time before Ms Bevin's models are in the stores.

"I haven't spoken with Nike at all," she said. "They know there are power laces fans out there. I believe there was a petition somewhere."

So where can you get your own pair of power laces?

Thankfully, Ms Bevin has posted everything you need to know about power laces on her website.

Coincidentally, the launch of Ms Bevin's power laces coincided with the failed Future Day on Monday, prompting some people to wonder whether Doc had travelled forward in time and was out there somewhere.

"The day I posted the video and instructions, coincidentally, there was a hoax going around that July 5th, 2010 was a date that Doc went to in the movie," Ms Bevin said.

"It was false, of course, but it's funny how the timing worked out on that."

Sadly, Ms Bevin does not have any plans to add a hoverboard to her collection.

"I don't foresee any other strictly BTTF projects on the horizon for me," she said.

"Hoverboards and holographic billboards are a little outside my expertise!"

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/back-to-the-future-fan-beth-bevin-inve...