Nike and Hyperice unveil heated foot-massaging shoes - Dezeen

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Sportswear brand Nike and health tech company Hyperice have unveiled a series of wearables that can heat, cool and massage to help athletes recover.

The Nike x Hyperice collaboration includes a pair of high-top shoes that use air compression to massage the feet and a vest that allows the wearer to adjust their body temperature.

Nike and Hyperice have created foot-massaging trainers

The wearables were designed specifically for athletes to help prepare their bodies for strenuous exercise and help them decompress afterwards.

But the technology is equally suited for people whose job involves other manual labour, according to Nike's senior director of athlete innovation Tobie Hatfield.

It includes heated foot-massaging boots

"The footwear and vest that we've developed with Hyperice help get the body ready for activity, whether you're playing for a title or you're on your feet a lot at work," he said.

The boot contains dual-air "bladders" that inflate and deflate to massage the foot and ankle, making use of Hyperice's Normatec technology.

The shoes are individually operated via buttons at the heel

Typically, this compression system comes in the form of blow-up sleeves, designed to be pulled over the legs and worn while in repose.

But Nike has integrated the technology into a functioning shoe, complete with warming elements that help drive heat deeper into the muscle and tissue.

Powered by a battery pack in each insole, the shoes offer three levels of compression and heat that can be individually adjusted via a button integrated into the heel.

"Athlete testers report that their feet and ankles feel freer and lighter – as if they've already completed their warm-up before actually starting their usual routine," Nike said.

The matching vest was designed to help regulate body temperature

The matching vest uses sensors to autonomously monitor the body temperature of the wearer and help to maintain it.

This is possible thanks to integrated thermoelectric coolers, which use electricity to deliver heat and cold with no need for ice or liquid refrigerants.

Hyperice's air bladders pop up here again – this time not to massage but to help adjust the vest to the body and press thermal modules inwards to deliver heating and cooling more effectively.

Sensors assess the wearer's temperature

The wearables have already been tested by Nike athletes including basketball players LeBron James and A'ja Wilson. And this week, the shoes are being trialled by athletes at the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

"Taking care of my body has always been an important part of my preparation as a basketball player," James said. "That commitment is what has allowed me to maintain a high level of play for more than 21 years now."

"From the moment I tried the Nike x Hyperice boots and vest while they were still in development more than a year ago, I knew they were going to change the game for athletes' warm-up and recovery."

Thermoelectric coolers are used to heat and cool the body

Ahead of the Paris Olympics next month, Nike has already unveiled a new collection of AI-enhanced footwear for its athletes, designed to provide better energy return or "bounce".

The brand is betting on artificial intelligence to gain a leg up in the race to create evermore high-performance footwear and is developing its own generative AI model to design products based on its vast bank of athlete data.


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