This DIY lace-tightening LEGO machine can tie your shoe laces for you. 1989’s Back to the Future Part II promised its audience that self-tying shoes would be an integral part of our daily routines, providing both convenience and ease. Since then, a few renditions of the concept have been attempted, including Nike's self-lacing sneakers, 'HyperAdapt.'
Industrial designer Vimal Patel has created his own adaptation of the technology, through creating a machine made from LEGO that carries out the highly sought out task. The contraption attaches the shoe laces onto LEGO 'connection points.' When Patel turns on the attached battery pack, the gears begin winding, moving in motions which tie the shoe laces together. Patal succeeded in finding practical uses for LEGO blocks through his DIY lace-tightening LEGO machine which combines ultimate convenience with futuristic wonder.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- DIY Machines
- As individuals become increasingly skilled at creating their own custom machines, they can craft more and more complex and useful solutions for everyday tasks and problems using tools like LEGO.
- Creative Reuse
- As people and companies look for ways to reuse and reduce waste, repurposing materials like LEGO blocks can lead to innovative solutions and reduce environmental impact.
- Personal Convenience Technology
- The continued growth of personal convenience technology has created new opportunities for novel shoe-tying and other convenience-related solutions.
Sectors Adopting This
- Toy Manufacturing
- As toy manufacturers look to build upon the environmental appeal and popularity of classic toys like LEGO, they may explore ways to create new toys with repurposed materials for a generation of kids interested in sustainability and using and creating DIY machines.
- Footwear Manufacturing
- As footwear manufacturers continue to experiment with self-lacing and other convenience technologies, they might look to innovative DIY solutions like this LEGO machine for inspiration.
- Maker Community
- As the maker community continues to grow and develop, they might experiment with creating personal machines like this lace-tightening LEGO machine to solve other hurdles and problems, leveraging advances in accessible technology platforms for making DIY machines easily.
