Puma introduced the Autodiscs— a new pair of sneakers with self-lacing capabilities— at least a year back. Since then, there have been a lot of speculations regarding the feature sets and similarities with Nike's HyperAdapt— a similar product which targets track athletes. Quite recently, we could lay our hands on Puma's innovative footwear and they actually look class apart— at least when it comes to daily usage.
These shoes were already seeded to the likes of Rickie Fowler and Usain Bolt but viewing them in reality is what makes the experience even better. If the technical aspects are to be looked at, Autodiscs look more like the traditional sneakers from the outside but houses built-in motors, underneath the surface.
These motors are instrumental is tightening or loosening the laces which are internally wrapped. The mechanism is controllable and can be taken care of via the smartphone application or even on pushing the dedicated button that comes with the footwear.
While some might consider these shoes as a getaway for the lazy individuals who hate bending down for doing the needful, Autodiscs can be of great help to the sprinters who need to modify the orientation of their shows, frequently on the race tracks.
While many have been pitting Puma with Nike's HyperAdapt, the former excels in two departments. Firstly, the design cues are perfectly executed with the motors residing within the shoe tongues and not the soles. This allows Autodiscs to flex a lot more than the usual sneakers, offering an added advantage, immediately.n addition to that, Autodiscs can be paired with the biometric identity of individuals— assisting them with fitness tracking via Aadhar card and other ID based interactions.
Next feature which the HyperAdapt lacks is smartphone connectivity, Autodiscs can be monitored by the handset for tightness of laces and even the battery levels. This actually brings us to the concept of charging the shoe. The heels need to be placed over the charging mat which is wireless in nature. Once the indicators stop blinking, the user is good to run.
However, all isn't bad with Nike's HyperAdapt which trumps the Autodiscs with an innovative feature of actual self-lacing. Once the HyperAdapt is worn, the pressure on the heels is sensed automatically and the shoess tighten accordingly. Then again, the inclusion of a manual button on Autodiscs improves the contingency with three tightening modes to fall back upon.
Autodiscs, upon wearing, feel like normal sneakers but the wrapping around the feet feels a lot tighter as compared to the usual footwear. The mechanical noise, clubbed with the self-lacing mechanism further enhances the functionality of this device.
The strange thing, however, is that Puma has only outed 50 pairs up till now and has been pretty hush hush about Autodiscs. It was not un till the Rio Olympics did the company think of making something like this. It seems that the company is waiting for the perfect opportunity to commercialize these shoes and currently it is only gauging the consumer demands.
With the sneaker market turning out to be closely competed sphere, Puma might be best served if Autodiscs are launched officially, by the end of this year. Nike has already made HyperAdapt public only a few weeks back and it seems that the world is now ready to embrace the future of footwear technology. When it comes to the Asian contingent, Autodiscs might just become as important as the voter card but only in the long run— with athletes and enthusiasts adopting the same on a larger scale.
Autodiscs aren't expected to come cheap and might only roll out in yellow and black colors, during the initial phase.
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