Nike Hypervenom Transform Q&A - How Does the Color Change Work?

It's the first ever football boot that changes colors. The Nike Hypervenom Phantom Transform SE Soccer Cleats feature a heat-activated upper that reveals a bright orange pattern as the boot is worn. But how does the effect work?

Max Blau, VP Nike football footwear, explains the science behind the first-ever color changing football boot.

Nike Hypervenom Phantom SE Transform Q&A - Max Blau

Where did the idea for a heat-activated upper come from?

It’s super cool. We bumped into the material while we were researching another project. We started playing around with this crazy effect and someone in the team suggested we put it on a boot.

Will players see the boot change colour during games?

Absolutely, especially in areas where you have more contact and friction with the ball. When you kick and receive it, the boots will transform like they’re alive.

Can you explain the science of how it works?

It’s a chemical reaction. The material is thermal activated and changes aesthetically with an increase in temperature. It’s like a two layer material that interchanges when the top layer heats up and allows the bottom layer to show up. It wasn’t developed especially for this, we just found it and we felt we had to use it.

Can you create this effect with any colors?

You can create all kinds of effects, with all kinds of colors. It works best with dark top colour. When you play it goes crazy and changes colour and then when you put it back in your bag it goes back to it’s original form. It’s like the boot participates in the game.

Rather than just reveal a colour, can it reveal a different design?

We wanted to keep it very subtle, but we did was add a graphic element (a swoosh) to give the transformation texture and bring it to life. This boot is a lot of fun.

Thanks to FFT Performance for the Nike Hypervenom Phantom Transform Boots Q&A. Would you like to see more football boots with a heat-activated upper?