Important Innovations

  Eco-Skies Global Alliance Source:  United Airlines Sustainable Jet Fuel From Trash Chicago headquartered, United Airlines is partnering with Nike, Siemens, Japan's Takeda Pharmaceuticals and 12 other global companies to fund the use, this year, of 3.4 million gallons of low carbon, sustainable jet fuel.  The green fuel will be created from trash.  Sustainable jet fuel can be at least 80% lower in greenhouse gas emissions than regular jet fuel. The global partnership is aimed at starting to reduce the airline industry's carbon/greenhouse gas emissions footprint. Tripling The Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Airlines have been using sustainable fuel since 2008 to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.  But, until now, sustainable fuels represent less than 1% of the aviation fuel used worldwide.  The new partnership will triple that amount each year.  United says the initiative gives customers a way to reduce the carbon impact of flying and it should signi...

  GO Flyease Slips onto Your Feet Source: Nike Nike Redefining the Mechanics of Shoes Nike has invented the world's 1st hands-free, no laces sneaker.  It is designed to make shoes more accessible and easy to put on for everyone, including those with arthritic hands or stroke victims who have lost use of their hands.  The GO Flyease sneaker has a patent pending hinge embedded in the outersole that enables the wearer to put it on their feet without having to use their hands.  Nike says they have literally redefined the mechanics of shoes with the GO.  They expect the sneaker to have wide appeal because of the ease of putting it on.  They also plan on further developing it for sports. Shoe With a History The shoe goes back to 2008 when then Nike CEO Mike Parker learned that Nike's first employee has suffered a stroke and lost use of one hand.  Parker asked Nike's lead designer to make a hands-free shoe.  Nine years later, a prototype shoe that could ...

Nike's New Air Zoom BB NXT  Source:  Nike's Rawthentic Innovative Footwear Tech This summer, Nike will roll out innovative new footwear technology.  It's called the Nike Air Zoom BB NXT and it's a basketball sneaker.  It has brand new technology to enhance the athlete's performance and fight fatigue with enhanced energy return. Fatigue Relief on the Court In basketball, fatigue is a major enemy, particularly for "positionless" NBA players who constantly run the court during games.  To help athletes maintain energy throughout the games, the new sneaker contains a system of full length REACT foam under the heel, a thin plate and Nike Air Zoom pods under the ball of the foot.  Nike says the new technology provides the wearer top energy return, top cushioning and strength North America and China A black and green colored version called "Dangerous" will be released on July 2 in China and July 25 in North America.  And in September a white...

Nike's Adapt Auto Max Source:  Nike Connectivity and Performance at the Next Level Nike calls its new Nike Adapt Auto Max, their pinnacle  offering that combines performance and connectivity. The shoe is part of the Air Max line. Adapt is the key word.  The shoe adapts to the wearer's needs.  The shoe has some unique features: FitAdapt  technology that allows it to grow and scale   with the wearer You can loosen or tighten the shoe's fit with your Apple watch You can adjust the power lacing using voice commands New features are updated through the Nike Adapt App The App creates two modes for the wearer: active sports & relaxation Nike claims the shoe's personalization & responsiveness are immediate Future of Fit Nike considers Adapt as part of its "future of fit".  The shoe is powered by a frictionless "digital utility" that makes it responsive to the wearer, smarter and able to do more things over time.  T...

Nike's Vaporfly Source:  Nike Vaporfly Springboard Empowered Running The $250.00 Nike Vaporfly running shoe has been cleared for use by elite runners in the upcoming Summer 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  The shoe appears to be the ultimate high tech innovation in running.  There's a carbon plate built into it that's designed to provide the runner with a spring in their step.  It's the world's first hi-tech springboard for runners that is getting tremendous results. Incredible Track Record Over the past year, runners wearing Vaporfly have recorded the five, fastest marathons ever.  And since the Vaporfly launch, the number of Adidas sponsored runners winning major marathons has been cut in half.  This is big business.  Running shoes are a $13 billion industry that's projected to grow 5% during each of the next 5 years. "Technological Doping" Critics have called the innovative technology shoe "technological doping".  But, the...

Nike Fit Source:  Nike Fit AI App for Perfect Fitting Running Shoes Nike Fit is a new AI innovation app from Nike.  The artificial intelligence powered system relies on a smartphone to ensure you're getting a perfect fit.  The Nike Fit is a scanning system loaded with a proprietary combination of computer vision, machine learning, AI, data science and recommendation algorithms. Big Size Problem This system is designed particularly to help  with buying shoes online.  Sizes aren't consistent across brands.  Nike says three out of five people are wearing the wrong sized shoes.  It's a big size problem that can get in the way of optimum running. The Perfect Fit Here's how the system works.  The Nike Fit system app works with the smartphone camera to take a picture of your feet and make a 13 point map of both feet in a few seconds.  The map is then analyzed by AI algorithms to suggest the best size for the user across various shoe mod...