We thought it wouldn't happen, but yesterday Nike reps did indeed visit Michael J. Fox and present him with a working pair of Nike Mags! Modeled after the sneakers with "power laces" that Nike devised for Back to the Future II, the Mags appear identical to what we saw in the movie, although the unseen mechanism operates more realistically; while the kicks in the flick tightened with the speedy whoosh that we associate with air-powered tools, the real-life Mags are battery-powered, tightening (and loosening) the laces at a more measured pace.

Here's Fox trying them on for the first time:

When we first saw the sneakers in the movie as kids, we thought the "power laces" were a cool gimmick. But with Fox suffering from Parkinson's Disease, it seems self-tightening shoes might actually be a boon to the differently-abled, if Nike can work out the UI (i.e. buttons requiring the user to have fine motor control might not be the best choice). And we've seen Nike produce sneakers for the differently-abled before with the Flyeases.

It appears Nike will pursue "power laces" or some variant of technologically-adjustable shoes, as the company writes that "this is just the first iteration."

Whether or not they design future iterations specifically tuned for those with disabilities, the design will directly play a helpful role. The company is putting the Mags in production (albeit in a limited run) and in spring of 2016 they'll be sold at auction only. They'll likely fetch high prices—the auction for the 2011 Mags, which did not feature "power laces," netted $4.7 million—which is great, as all proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

With a host of other corporations trying to cash in on Back to the Future tie-ins this week, it's nice to see Nike throwing their weight around to help others rather than trying to boost their quarterly earnings.