Great Scott! It might have taken Nike 26 years to perfect the power lace technology shown in Back to the Future II in order to release working self-tying Nike Air Max boots, but it's taken a mere fraction of that time for fakers to replicate the system.

In fact, the official sneakers won't even be available on a wider release until next spring (as part of an auction) but should you be interested in knock-offs, it seems you can get your hands on them now.

Unauthorised versions are hitting the market, with Instagram user fake_education posting a small clip of the power laces working on a hooky Nike Air Max he discovered.

What's quite remarkable is that the power laces actually work quite well on the fake boot. The poster's clip doesn't show the overall design though, so that might be a less impressive.

As the real shoes are expected to change hands for thousands rather than hundreds of pounds or dollars, this is a timely reminder to be careful when purchasing a pair from anyone other than authorised sellers. Ebay, for example, could be rife with fake versions, even from those who claim to have acquired them in the official auction. Always demand proof before shelling out.

That said, if the fakers can get the power laces working, how long before we see them on other, far less expensive footwear? We cannot wait.