If you’ve never sat in one of Hyperice’s leg recovery suites, with their lower-torso-engulfing pressure system with undulating dynamic cycles, imagine a cross between a pharmacy blood-pressure tester and one of those floating tanks Luke uses to heal up in The Empire Strikes Back. After a grueling day of competition or workouts, having your legs all wrapped up by the Hyperice boots feels damn good, even if the whole operation might seem a bit much.
But with their new, game-changing collaboration with Nike, Hyperice has managed to pack the recuperating powers of their signature boots into an unassuming high-top sneaker. The “HyperBoot,” as the brands are calling it, is a compact recovery tool that offers air compression massage and heat for the feet and ankles, using the same HyperHeat technology built into Hyperice’s Venom series of nanotechnology heat devices. It’s portable, lightweight, and doesn’t require a power cord or external battery—in other words, a massive leap forward for recovery tech.
Nike
Condensing all this technology into a regular-sized shoe was a huge challenge, according to Hyperice founder Anthony Katz. “First was the size, getting all of the components plus a battery on board in an elegant way and to ensure when wearing the boot that it still felt like a normal shoe,” Katz said. “The second challenge was dealing with the curves of the shoe—they don’t offer a lot of flat surfaces.” He explained that it was a “combination of great industrial design that also considered the needs of the electronic components to fit and work” that made it possible.
Nike
The HyperBoot is set to have a big presence at the Paris Olympics this summer. Hyperice and Nike worked closely with several Olympians to tailor the device to their needs—for instance, the boots have been designed to target the Achilles for recovery after athletes specifically requested that as a point of focus. But while these elite performers will see the benefit of the boots now, Katz said that the HyperBoot was designed to eventual be of use to a more general audience. “We see these products benefiting anyone who puts care into their body and improve how they feel,” he said.
The public release date for the HyperBoot and its accompanying wearable recovery vest, the HyperLayer, have yet to be announced. But we’ll no doubt be seeing these pop up at gyms constantly as soon as they’re available to the world.
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