Self-tying shoes Self-tying shoes Self-tying shoes (also known as "self-lacing" or "power laces") are designed to automatically tighten once the user puts them on. Such shoes were initially depicted in the 1989 science fiction film "Back to the Future II". In April 2009, Nike filed a patent for self-lacing shoes, with a design that bears a resemblance to those worn by Marty in the film "Back to the Future II", raising speculation among fans about a possible debut of self-lacing shoes. In 2014, Tinker Hatfield, the designer of the original Nike shoes as depicted in "Back to the Future II", indicated that
Fully automatic time Fully automatic time Fully automatic time (abbreviated FAT) is a form of race timing in which the clock is automatically activated by the starting device, and the finish time is either automatically recorded, or timed by analysis of a photo finish. The system is commonly used in track and field as well as athletic performance testing, horse racing, dog racing, bicycle racing, rowing and auto racing. In these fields a photo finish is used. It is also used in competitive swimming, for which the swimmers themselves record a finish time by touching a touchpad at the end of a race.