If you want to run faster or farther, you have options. You can put in the work, getting up 40 minutes earlier to train, changing your diet, going harder and longer on each of your runs to build up strength.
Or, you can strap on one of Nike’s new robot shoes and mechanically boost your speed, your stamina, and your overall performance in a flash. Sounds way easier, and probably more fun too.
Today the footwear giant unveiled Project Amplify, an early design of a powered footwear system that Nike technicians are still developing with the goal of a commercial release in 2028.
Amplify has a few parts. At the top, an elastic cuff containing a ring of batteries fits onto the wearer’s calf. Attached to the battery array is a mechanical arm that points downward, with the thickest part sitting over the outside of the ankle. That thick part is where the motor lives, and that motor drives a hinged piece that’s attached to the heel of the shoe.
The shoe itself is a run-walk shoe with a carbon plate and modern Nike looks. (The company says you can detach the shoes and wear them sans motorized appliance; helpful for when the batteries need recharging.)
At the end of each step, the motor pulls up on the heel of the shoe. The device is calibrated so the movement of the motor can match the natural movement of each person’s ankle and lower leg. The result is that each step is powered, or given a little bit of a spring and an extra push by the robot mechanism.
Nike doesn’t expect that competitive athletes or distance runners will be able to strap these on and start shaving minutes off their marathon times. Rather, the device is meant to boost the movement of people who are thoroughly middle-of-the road runners or joggers. Nike cites the 10- to 12-minute miler as Project Amplify’s eventual target market. The company says a device like this will give the gentle assist necessary to help those folks either improve their overall fitness or help them endure longer distances while they’re on runs. It’s also being designed for everyday walkers and people who are on their feet for long stretches, basically giving any human the ability to stay mobile longer and with more comfort.
Nike has been developing Project Amplify for years; here are some prototypes.
Courtesy of Nike
As we’ve seen with other performance and accessibility devices—exoskeletons for athletes, motorized braces for soldiers and laborers, and electrified skates for busy walkers—the technological enhancements they provide have typically focused on bettering the bodies we were born with, rather than replacing skills or ability earned through training and hard work. But strong-willed workers, adventurers, or athletes who are already performing at a decent level can strap on one of these robotic helpers and stay on the job, on the road, or in the game longer than they otherwise would.
Nike is developing Project Amplify with the Massachusetts robotics company Dephy (which makes its own bionic footwear) and testing it with athletes in the outdoors and at Nike’s innovation lab in Beaverton, Oregon. And while you won’t be able to buy these robo-shoes for a few more years, Nike has also unveiled a few things alongside Amplify that you can buy much sooner.
If you like the look of that shoe, you’ll be able to detach the motorized arm and wear them as regular sneaks.
Courtesy of Nike
The brand is putting out its first “neuroscience-based” footwear line, called Mind. The shoes have 22 foam nubs on each sole which press into the wearer’s foot as they walk around. The company says this helps the wearer feel the surface below them much like a barefoot shoe—imparting the same benefits of the “grounded” feeling people get from a barefoot design—while also offering the full protection of a cushy and firm shoe. It’s the first product to emerge from Nike’s Mind Science Department, which researches and develops designs that provide mental as well as physical support. Two Mind designs will be available starting in January.
There’s also a new line of cooling and sweat-wicking athletic apparel called Aero-Fit, which Nike says is its first collection of performance apparel made entire from textile waste that’s been chemically recycled. Aero-Fit soccer jerseys will make their debut in summer 2026, and chances are you’ll be able to buy them around the time you see them on the pitch.
