Puma spent the last three years working on this new self-lacing shoe the Fi. Puma’s Fi self-lacing shoes finds its place between intuitiveness, practicality and affordability. In the end, the Fi became a shoe made for training and everyday use, and a pair will cost $330 when it launches in 2020. The all-black Fi looks heavier than the bright yellow Auto-disc, with the intent of getting people to focus on the motor feature and the overall experience. The Fi does have blue LED lights that light up when the motor is operating or when it’s charging. The lights indicate the battery level as well.
This next-level smart footwear has a micro-motor on the tongue that tightens cables, adapting to the shape of the wearer’s foot. Puma has built a smartphone app that performs the task with nothing more than a finger swipe.
Puma’s Fi self-lacing shoes
Puma’s Fi self-lacing shoes also incorporates a “smart sensing capability” that learns the shape of your foot and adjusts the tightness to give a comfortable fit. Though if at any point it doesn’t feel quite right, you can use the app to fine-tune the fit and get it feeling the way you want it. Puma’s Fi self-lacing shoes weighs 428 gram, 45 of which come from the electronic and mechanical parts.
A wireless charging mat takes care of the battery, though if you find yourself out and about and out of juice, you can simply change the battery. The controls are simple, there is an option to tighten, simply swipe from toe side to ankle side on the module’s strip. After that a motor will do its work until it feels the right amount of tension on the strings.
The company says that the app connects with a micro-motor inside the shoe, which operates a tightening mechanism using super-thin cables. You can also adjust the tightness from an Apple Watch, saving you from fiddling about with a smartphone. Not only that, it is important for athletes who are keen on traveling light. The simplest method of adjustment, however, is through a small touch-pad on the top of the shoe.
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