By Nicholas P. Brown
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Nike on Thursday said it is working on a motorized footwear system to help casual athletes and mobility-impaired people move faster, one of four new products it teased in its latest effort to show the world it is still on the cutting-edge of sports technology.
Known as Project Amplify, the effort is a collaboration with bionic footwear brand Dephy, Nike announced Thursday morning. It remains in early stages, with the product – a running shoe that comes with an attachable, battery-charged motor – still a few years from coming to market.
CEO Elliott Hill is betting on product innovation as a way of turning around a sportswear juggernaut whose financial performance has stagnated, as newer, nimbler brands like On and Hoka have chipped away at market share. Former CEO John Donahoe – an industry outsider who had worked as a corporate consultant and as CEO of eBay – had shifted Nike’s focus to more concrete metrics, like optimizing sales channels.
Hill said last year that righting the ship would require, among other things, “unmatched, patented innovation” for new products.
Nike on Thursday also introduced the Mind 001 and Mind 002 shoes, which it claims can “tap into the mind-body connection,” helping athletes’ mental focus by activating “key sensory areas of the brain via underfoot stimulation.” The shoes are expected to hit shelves in January.
The company also announced a sports jersey with cooling technology, known as the Aero-FIT, which Nike-sponsored soccer teams will wear in next year’s World Cup.
(Reporting by Nicholas P. Brown; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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