Nike Transformer. Guau!

There's a line of Nike Free 7.0s launching in Japan that aren't what they seem. Sure, they look like sneakers. But sneakers with a secret: a series of 11 wrist-flicking twists will turn those Nike Frees into Transformer robots.

For those who didn't grow up with these toys, Transformers are robots able to morph from one object into another - robots in disguise, usually hiding within otherwise ordinary machinery like cars or firetrucks. Produced by Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy, 300 million Transformers have been made since their debut in 1984. Popular enough for Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg to release a Transformers movie in the U.S. this summer.

To capitalize on the movie buzz, toymakers at Takara Tomy started thinking of what other objects could potentially hide robots. And that led them to Nike. Why not? Nike's innovation can transform anyone with a body into an athlete, and Nike Free especially maximizes otherwise natural movement.

The company brought the idea to Nike's offices in Japan, where Tokyo Marketing Director Natsuhiko Kubota seized on the opportunity to make a shoe that really did turn into a robot. The trick wasn't just keeping Nike's quality intact, but also making a robot "cool for both kids and toy collectors," Kubota says.

They did it. Though the shoes are too small to be worn, the team managed to turn Nike Free 7.0s into Transformer robots. In fact, they did it twice: a red and white pair hides Convoy, the heroic commander at the Transformer's Justice Headquarters, and a black and gray pair becomes Megatron, emperor of the Evil Empire of Destruction.

The shoes launched in Japan on April 26th.