Robot Shoes, Cooling Shirts, and Inflatable Jackets: Nike Unveils ‘Innovation Engine’ Gear

Well, it looks like we’re one step closer to a cyberpunk future. On Thursday, Nike announced four new products to reaffirm a commitment to innovation of outdoor gear. 

Its big releases include a lightweight jacket that looks like an astronaut fashion show (and indeed, some athletes will be sporting at this winter’s Olympic Games), neuroscience-based shoes that aim to give athletes greater focus, and new cooling technology for its performance apparel.

But for a brand most famous for its shoes, the most head-turning release has to be Project Amplify, aka Nike’s first “powered footwear system.” Built on motion algorithms informed by the Nike Sport Research Lab, these robot shoes have a “lightweight, powerful motor, drive belt, and rechargeable cuff battery that integrate with a carbon fiber–plated running shoe that can be worn with or without the robotics system.”

The futuristic footwear — which looks like a robotic brace stuck in a running shoe — resembles other robot-adjacent gear released in recent years, like the exoskeleton for skiers and the hiking exoskeleton.

So if Project Amplify actually helps walkers and runners as intended, the greater mobility for the feet and legs could certainly help a lot of people. Here’s a look at the shoes, along with the slate of outdoor gear Nike announced today.

Nike Robot Shoes: Project Amplify

So who is Nike’s Project Amplify for, exactly? It could work for more than just those with mobility issues. A GQ reviewer said it improved his pace and distance while reducing fatigue and making climbs a cinch.

“If you run a 10-minute mile, the Amplify can help you run it in eight,” Calum Marsh wrote.

Michael Donaghu, who leads the Amplify team, said market testing in major U.S. cities suggested that some people might walk more, instead of taking a taxis, if they had access to robot shoes like these. That seems like a bit of a stretch. But like e-bikes, enhanced mobility for feet and legs could indeed be helpful to many people.  

“There’s also people who have started to put barriers between themselves and how they move,” Donaghu told GQ. “Like, ‘I don’t run with you anymore because you’re faster,’ or, ‘I don’t know if I can do that hike because there’s a hill.’”

Thought intriguing, don’t expect the shoes to hit the shelves just yet. They’re still “early in testing,” and Nike will be working alongside robotics partner Dephy to bring the system to a consumer launch in “coming years.”

Nike Innovation Engine Gear

Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket

This lightweight jacket somehow looks both silly and sexy, but regardless it’ll be worn by some Team USA athletes in the next Olympic Games. 

The high-tech garment allows athletes to “regulate their temperature in real time without changing layers by inflating or deflating air within the jacket’s baffles, offering warmth levels that range from a lightweight hoodie to a mid-weight puffer.”

No word yet on when it might be available to consumers. 

At first glance, these fancy recovery shoes look like Crocs reimagined by a geometry teacher and stuffed with gumballs. The two models are meant to help “tap into the mind-body connection by activating sensory receptors in the feet.”

Perhaps more interestingly, they’re also the first innovations made possible by Nike’s Mind Science Department, “whose research is unlocking a completely new category of products and services to help athletes better prepare, train, compete and recover,” the brand said.

Who knows what else is cooking up in that department? 

Both models of these shoes will be available in January 2026 at nike.com and select retail locations.

Aero-FIT Performance Apparel

The Aero-FIT performance wear is capable of channeling more than double the airflow of “legacy Nike athletic apparel,” according to the brand’s announcement Thursday.

It’s also Nike’s first elite performance apparel made from 100% textile waste, and will make its global debut in the football kits Nike federations will wear during the biggest sport moment of 2026 “before extending across Nike’s sport-led product strategy.”

This is the first glimpse we’ve had of Nike’s moonshot athletic gear. Stay tuned for more news and testing as it’s available.