Nike's new Mind Science Department has designed the brand's first neuroscience-inspired sneaker line, created to help athletes feel calmer and more focused before and after competition. Olivia Palamountain reports

Nike has launched a new category of brain performance footwear designed to support athletes’ mental state rather than physical output alone.

The Nike Mind 001 and Mind 002 are the brand’s first neuroscience-based shoes, created to help athletes feel calmer, more focused and grounded before and after competition. The silhouettes mark the debut of the Nike Mind platform, a project more than a decade in the making.

Developed through research into the mind-body connection, the footwear uses underfoot stimulation to activate sensory receptors in the feet, which influence areas of the brain linked to awareness and attention. Nike says this can help athletes tune out distractions and reconnect with their bodies. The Mind 001 is a mule-style shoe designed for easy on-and-off wear, aimed at pre- and post-performance moments. The Mind 002 is a sneaker that anchors the foot more firmly to the footbed, increasing sensory feedback and support.

Both models feature 22 independent foam nodes per shoe, bonded to a flexible and water-resistant base. As athletes move, the nodes respond like small pistons, allowing wearers to feel variations in the surface beneath their feet. This heightened sensory feedback is intended to increase bodily awareness and support concentration.

The launch reflects a wider surge of interest in neuroscience across wellness and travel, as predicted by Globetrender's VOLT trend platform. Coined "Peak Neuro", VOLT identifies this trend  as a movement driven by growing understanding of how the brain changes across life stages, each with different cognitive strengths and vulnerabilities. As neuroscience becomes more applied and practical, brands are increasingly designing products and experiences that work with the brain’s architecture rather than against it.Eric Avar, vp creative director of innovation at Nike, says: “Nike Mind is a new sensory-footwear concept that helps reawaken the foot, the body and the mind. It represents a new paradigm of performance and how we can potentially make athletes better in the future.”

The shoes are the first products to emerge from Nike’s Mind Science Department, a specialist team within the Nike Sport Research Lab. Using mobile brain and body imaging technology, researchers study how athletes’ nervous systems and brain activity respond during movement. Insights from this work are now being applied to products designed to support preparation, competition and recovery.

Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland is among hundreds of athletes who tested the Nike Mind footwear over the past five years. He says: “Focus is everything in football. Every step I take, I think of the shoe and what I feel in my feet – which is a good thing. It helps me to bring balance to my game.”

Dr Matthew Nurse, vp and chief science officer at Nike, says: “Now, we’re expanding into the mind. By studying perception, attention and sensory feedback, we’re tapping into the brain-body connection in new ways. It’s not just about running faster – it’s about feeling more present, focused and resilient.”

Nike Mind sits alongside other recent Nike innovations spanning apparel, cooling and powered footwear, reflecting the brand’s broader focus on athlete-centred performance. The Nike Mind series is available now from £79.99.