Key Points
- Nike has unveiled “Project Amplify,” a new robotic shoe.
- The shoe has a small motor that acts as a “second set of calf muscles,” making running easier.
- In tests, it helped some runners take two minutes off their mile time.
- Nike also announced a new “Mind” line of shoes designed to improve mental focus.
Nike is taking its footwear to a whole new level with two futuristic new projects: a pair of robotic shoes that help you run faster and farther, and a “neuroscience-based” line of shoes designed to enhance your mental focus.
The star of the show is “Project Amplify,” a robotic shoe developed in partnership with the startup Dephy. The shoe acts as a “second set of calf muscles,” using a small motor and a drive belt powered by a calf-mounted battery to augment your natural stride. Nike compares the experience to riding an e-bike; it doesn’t do the work for you, but it makes it a lot easier.
The company says Project Amplify “makes walking or running uphill feel like moving on flat ground.” In tests, it even helped some people shave two minutes off their mile time. This is a major step in bringing robotics into consumer products, moving beyond just robot vacuums.
Nike’s other new project is a line of shoes called “Mind.” These shoes —mules and sneakers —have special foam nodes on the soles that let you feel the texture of the ground under your feet. The idea is that this “heightens sensory awareness” and can help “enhance concentration.”
While the Mind shoes will be available as early as January 2026, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for the robotic Amplify shoes, which Nike says will have a “broad consumer launch in the coming years.”
