The Most Mind-Blowing 3-D Printed Objects of 2012

“Designed to Win” is the brand name of French engineering and design student Luc Fusaro’s 3-D-printed running shoe. It’s also an apt descriptor of this custom-fabricated concept that can theoretically shave 3.5 percent off a sprinter’s time--enough to change his or her position on the medal podium. Using a nylon polymer powder and an additive manufacturing process known as selective laser sintering, Fusaro can turn a 3-D scan of an athlete's foot into a custom-fitting, bare-bones athletic shoe with no extraneous material and a super-lightweight structure. The finished product weighs just 96 grams, or less than three-quarters the weight of Nike’s super-minimalist Mayfly racing shoe. By the time the summer Olympics come back around in 2016, this kind of technology could be everywhere.