Nike is trying to sell you ‘mind-body’ shoes

Nike’s caller “neuroscience-based footwear” is designed to activate an athlete’s encephalon earlier and aft a large game. The two shoes, a mule (the $95 Mind 001) and a lace-up sneaker (the $145 Mind 002), diagnostic a distinctive array of 22 orangish foam nodes embedded successful each sole. Nike says the nodes each determination up and down independently, similar “pistons and gimbals,” arsenic the jock walks, mimicking the feeling of walking connected the crushed successful a mode that is “scientifically shown” to stimulate the ft and frankincense activate the brain’s sensory areas.

Nike hasn’t released the technological grounds that it says shows however the Mind 001 and 002 do assistance an jock focus. But Nike spokesperson Jay Paavonpera told The Verge that a achromatic insubstantial connected the exertion is coming retired successful “a mates weeks.” He said that the shoes’ designs are based connected “hundreds of athletes and thousands of hours of testing.” 

The section that developed the node design, the Mind Science squad wrong the Nike Sport Research Lab, did truthful by “leveraging 1 of precise fewer mobile encephalon and assemblage imaging labs successful the world,” the institution says. Each node was placed conscionable acold capable isolated from the others truthful that the wearer could comprehend each arsenic separate, according to Mind Science’s main investigator, Graeme Moffat. This is the crushed wherefore nodes are farther isolated successful the bottommost and person unneurotic nether the shot of the foot. “Nike Mind is simply a caller sensory-footwear conception that helps reawaken the foot, the assemblage and the mind,” says Nike vice president of innovation and originative manager Eric Avar.

While galore of Nike’s shoes absorption connected cushioning, implicit the years, it’s responded to contention from minimalist-style shoes similar the Vibram FiveFingers and Crocs with products similar its Nike Free shoes. 

The mule Mind 001, offered successful grey and red, and the sneaker Mind 002, offered lone successful gray, are some options labeled arsenic “pregame” shoes connected the Nike Mind website. Both volition beryllium disposable successful January 2026.