Image via Wikipedia

Nike have filed a patent for self-lacing shoes.

The shoe comes with a set of straps that can switch the shoe mode from loosened to tightened and vice versa.

The fastening of the shoe will be propelled by a motor that spools and unspools a wire that fits the shoe.

The motor , in all likelihood, will be powered by an on-board USB battery.

Does this signal the end of shoes with traditional laces?

How to tie a shoelace and how to knot a tie are two growing up rituals in a man’s life.

Will they  pass into nostalgic oblivion?

Pre-knotted ties are freely available. Velcro fasteners, however, were a passing fad.

Would you pay extra for these Nike shoes? It is, perhaps, an easy sell to parents of toddlers.

This could be the demise of that age-old excuse  -  “I just need some time to fasten my laces.”

Or an end to tripping over loose ones!

(You hate falling over untied shoe laces? Buy these fantabulous self-lacing shoes from Nike! Tiger Woods endorses them! How’s that for a sales spiel?)

The end of the world as we know it!

Will runners really thank Nike?