THE 25 BEST INVENTIONS OF 2017
for the FUTURE
The best inventions embracing next-gen technology
A shoe engineered to boost performance
FUTURECRAFT 4D // DEVELOPED BY ADIDAS
Imagine a shoe that lets you run faster, pivot better and jump higher. That’s the idea behind the Futurecraft 4D, a new sneaker from Adidas whose midsole can be expertly tailored to the needs of its wearers—not only in size and shape, but also in flexibility, impact type, cushioning and more. The key is the 3-D printing process, which enables Adidas to “look at every single square millimeter of a midsole and tune it from a performance standpoint,” says Al VanNoy, who headed the project. It would take weeks to make those modifications using traditional shoemaking methods. But the Futurecraft 4D midsoles can be printed in as little as two hours, meaning Adidas could even produce them in stores. At least that’s a possibility for the future. For now, Adidas is rolling out a standardized version (based on 17 years’ worth of data from runners) beginning in mid-December. —Julia Zorthian
A portable, wearable breast pump
WILLOW PUMP // DEVELOPED BY WILLOW
Breastfeeding is easier said than done, especially for moms on the go. Most electric breast pumps use air-horn-shaped collection bottles, which are tethered to loud, whirring machines. Mountain View, Calif.–based Willow is working to change that. Its battery-powered alternative is quiet and small enough so that women can slip it into their bra and pump wherever they want. (Each is lined with a freezer-safe bag.) “Instead of scheduling life around the pump, you can play with an older child or take a conference call,” says Naomi Kelman, the company’s president and CEO. That convenience comes at a cost: $480 plus 50¢ per 4-oz. bag, which is considerably pricier than traditional models. Kelman says the company is making design tweaks based on feedback from moms who are testing a beta version now. If Willow delivers on its promises when it launches next year, it could revolutionize an industry in desperate need of disruption. —Emily Barone
A simpler home security system
NEST SECURE // DEVELOPED BY NEST
Most home security systems are created to keep intruders out. Nest, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, built its Secure system “the complete other way around,” says chief product officer Matt Rogers, choosing to focus just as much on making it simpler for its users to get in. Case in point: the Secure hub can be disarmed by waving a key fob instead of typing a pass code, and those key fobs can be programmed to work within certain time frames—so a babysitter, for example, could access your home only while she’s working. A smartphone app also lets users manage their system from afar. (Similar tech exists from Abode and SimpliSafe, among others.) Of course, the Secure is plenty capable of guarding a home: if
