As 3D printing gains momentum across sectors, it's proving to be a game-changer in healthcare. The technology is making costly prosthetics more accessible and improving neonatal care with 3D-printed holders for syringes used to feed premature babies. 

This hybrid between a yacht and a submarine skims the ocean's surface and travels deep beneath it, offering passengers an ultra-scenic ride while representing a new class of "mega yachts." 

Google has created a somewhat mythical office culture with its nap pods and upscale food options, but the company also has a knack for transforming old warehouses, factories, and storage facilities into sleek workplaces. Take a look at some of Google's most unique offices. 

The next wave of nuclear reactors won't look like this! One energy startup created a compact prototype reactor, which uses hardly any nuclear fuel and is small enough to ship to any location.

In medicine, diagnostic tools are essential, arguably as important as advancements in treatments. Take the thermometer. In the early 1700s, physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit discovered that adding a bulb of mercury to a narrow glass tube created a more precise and efficient measure of temperature, forever changing the course of medicine. While the mercury thermometer was hardly the first means to document temperature shifts—Galileo created a device to do this in the late 1500s—its minimalist design and precise readings made for a widely accessible innovation. When it comes to the human body, an infection or abnormality only can be cured, or treated, when its presence is known, which means advancements in diagnostic devices are constantly in demand. The same goes for our planet, and instruments that help measure, maintain, and restore its balance are as vital as ever.

Haptics—the science of touch—along with all the other sensory inputs can be influential tools, offering designers exciting possibilities when deciding which materials to use in a space. As workplace design shifts to prioritize more human-centric spaces, our approach to these environments morphs, too, says Mindy O’Gara, director of product and learning experience at Interface. Now more than ever, we’re understanding through neuroscience that we have the opportunity to forge memorable connections to materials creating more meaningful experiences with the built environment. “One of the first sensory connections we have is to material,” says O’Gara. “Our emotional interpretation of the materials that surround us inform how we feel about a space and whether or not we’ll use it.  Is it appealing?  How does it engage or behave?  Can it shape to specific needs?  All of these qualities are very important when we think about the value and depth of materials.” One solution is to seek out adaptive products with timeless design elements.

In the quest to create a sustainable alternative to the disposable paper cups used by most coffee shops, award-winning architect, Safia Qureshi, launched a new business called CupClub. CupClub creates plastic cups that can be used 132 times before being recycled. The business establishes designated cup drop-off points (often at coffee shops) throughout London, where tossed cups are then collected and expertly cleaned for reuse. 

Long before the term ‘biophilia’ entered the scientific lexicon in the 1970s, it served as an innate design practice. In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture, open-air courtyards functioned as the center of the home, providing a calming respite with fresh air, natural light, and views of nature. Though few homes today are built around secluded outdoor oases, biophilic elements enable designers to create similarly stimulating and restorative spaces in built environments, ultimately improving the health and wellness of those within them.    

One U.K. start-up, called Stroodles, is betting on the future of pasta straws, which more closely resemble the texture of plastic than other materials on the market. The straws, made by an Italian pasta manufacturer, do not change the flavor of the drink and they’re edible–if you’re into alcohol-infused raw noodles.  

The age ocean-crossing zeppelins ended in the 1930s, but new advances in technology are positioning the old-school airships for a modern comeback. Driven by environmental concerns, Lockheed Martin's hybrid airship could offer a more sustainable solution to commercial shipping.

As the demand for energy storage grows, given our increasing reliance on technology, scientists say inexpensive products, like soap and detergent, have properties that could help create alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.  

Since apparently there are not enough people we can interact with in the world, we are now able to communicate with plants. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has specific researchers for “cyborg botany”, has developed technology that allows plants to act as sensors and displays. 

In an innovative bid to remove all plastic from their packaging, Corona parent company Group Modelo is working on an open-source, stackable solution to bringing your own beer. 

Step aside, plastic bottles. With its bacteria-killing technology, LARQ is paving the way for the next generation of bottled water. The self-cleaning water bottle combines clean design with peace of mind.

Everlane and Adidas may be soaking up all the literal limelight right now for their forays into sustainable sneakers, but they'll soon by joined by Keds. The casual sneaker company will unveil a new collection built on a collaboration with textile company Ace & Jig, featuring shoes made entirely from scraps of waste material. The collection exemplifies Keds two-pronged approach to sustainable footwear, prioritizing ethical materials over trends. 

In Fuji City, Japan, Tezuka Architects have built what is quite possibly one of the cutest and most wholesome nursery schools, ever. The Muku Nursery is comprised of a series of round timber structures that when viewed from above look like bubbles or parasols. Inside, the rooms are open and are drenched in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the structures. 

It may sound fantastical, even Wonka-esque, but future urban citizens will navigate their cities not by foot, but by a multi-directional elevator system called MULTI. First proposed in 2014, MULTI could use magnetic levitation technology to move multiple cabins of people up, down, and sideways in "hanging cities" of the future. These hanging cities, says squareone's Design Director Kostas Poulopoulos, will create "a three-dimensional mega-grid that combines towers and multi-story horizontal sectors into a 24-hour urban hub for live, work, and play."

It may be taboo to discuss death, but the fact of the matter is that we modern day humans continue to mess up the planet long after we've stopped driving our cars or picking up our trash. Coffin production wastes natural timber resources, embalming leaches toxic chemicals into our water, and cremation emits chemicals into the air. That's why New York-based designer Shaina Garfield invented Leaves, a sustainable coffin that decomposes the body naturally with the aid of a fungi-laced rope and a pine wood surface.

There's no question that reforestation is a critical component to combating climate change, but the manual labor and cost are frequently-cited deterrents to getting it done. Two Brazilian brothers may have found a solution to the problem. Their biodegradable planter protects seeds and saplings from ants and helps keep them adequately watered, enabling the baby plants to grow into the giants that people think of when they hear "rainforest".

Sidewalk Labs has revealed some of the concept renderings for Quayside, the Alphabet-helmed smart city development project in Toronto, and it certainly looks like a city of the future. The predominant construction material is timber and the overall design skews towards modularity. There will also be a built-in recycling and composting system that could divert 80% of the district's waste from the landfill. If all goes according to plan and approval is given, Sidewalk Labs estimates Quayside could be up and running within five to six years. Still, the project has attracted a significant amount of controversy due to high levels of secrecy surrounding the contract signed between Alphabet and Waterfront Toronto, as well as concerns over furtive data-gathering apparatuses built into the neighborhood's infrastructure. 

According to Circular Ocean, some 705,000 tons of fishing gear are lost or discarded in the ocean every year. That's a lot of virgin nylon, a strong and durable material, floating uselessly in the ocean and even worse, strangling thousands of whales, sea lions, and other marine animals. Once the problem became apparent, a whole industry popped up around gathering these discarded fish nets and transforming them into viable new products. Internationally-renowned design firm Snøhetta joined the competition at the 2019 Stockholm Design Week with their S-1500 chair, which is made of recycled fishing gear and repurposed steel. Because it uses locally sourced recyclable materials, the S-1500 has one of the lowest carbon footprints on the market. 

Almost no one can agree on what the perfect temperature is, and when you're in an office, it becomes very apparent. Good thing a team at the University of Maryland may have introduced the perfect solution. They developed a new fabric that both allows heat to leave the garment and locks it in, depending on the body's temperature. It could be the perfect solution for not only athletes and bickering coworkers, but also the elderly and babies who require constant comfort.

The humble seahorse may not be an intuitive place to find inspiration, but that's exactly where 3D-printed shoe outfit Ica & Kostika looked for their latest collection. Cast in a silvery finish, the seahorse-inspired shoe is part of a larger collection called Exobiology. The shoes are meticulously designed and constructed to fit the natural shape of the wearer's foot. 

Neri Oxman is at the forefront science, design, and academic celebrity. A winner of the National Design Award and a pioneering force at MIT's Mediated Matter Lab, Oxman is known the world over for her unique creative vision on how the natural world and the built environments of the future will coalesce. Deep dive into her predictions for a new biophilic future in this 2018 interview with Oxman in Dwell magazine. 

Mycelium, the underground "root" part of fungi, is having a moment in the design industry. It's been shown to be stronger than concrete pound for pound and fully biodegradable, making it a compelling material for construction. Lighting designer Nir Meiri took a different approach, instead choosing to highlight the beauty of mycelium in a series of tabletop lamps. Produced in partnership with Biohm, the lamps' light source is in the base and illuminates the naturally-derived shade from below, casting this unusual but beautiful material in a soft glow. 

At CES 2019, LG unveiled the world's first rollable TV, which is comprised of just two parts: a super slim OLED screen and a base with built-in soundbar. When not in use, the TV descends into the base and winds around a spool, becoming a piece of unobtrusive furniture. Sure to please both techies and those who strictly adhere to the "a place for everything, and everything in its place" mantra, LG's game-changing product will go on sale later this year. 

Ceramicists make it look so easy — with only gentle pushing, folding, and sculpting they can mold a mound of clay into something delicate and functional. Now, thanks to continued innovation in 3D printing, even the casual hobbyist can make their own ceramic pieces at home. Cerambot uses real clay, making it a more eco-friendly 3D printer, and can print with pinpoint accuracy. 

Plants are great house decor, but ever want to kick it up a notch? Enter Studio REM’s “Nebl,” an Archiproducts Design Award winning terrarium-lite that looks like a cross between a snow globe and specimen jar. The Nebls keep your plants warm during cold months, while making them look much more expensive than they are.