California – Having discovered that resistance athletes like to train in sand dune parks, designer Aarish Netarwala has developed Grit, a new concept shoe for adidas that replicates the properties of running on soft sand to ensure this training method is accessible to all.

With athletes relying on difficult sand training to strengthen their muscles for acceleration, balance and jumping, the 3D-printed trainers will be designed to ensure training is just as strenuous. The sole of the shoe features lattice structures designed to scatter energy when the foot strikes the ground, fatiguing the athlete's leg muscles faster. To support the wearer’s foot, a fabric knit sock is paired with the lattice sole, and although woven together, the two pieces are easily detachable and both can be recycled.

Despite the need for extensive testing and manufacturing before its launch as a commercial product, the design indicates the future direction of materials innovation to help improve performance. As Active Air recently demonstrated, shoes could also provide a solution to reverse air pollution in urban environments.

UK – Co-working space We Work is demonstrating its civic and social mindset with a new programme that will offer refugees jobs at its UK locations.

Following the success of a pilot programme in New York, the company has worked with refugee charity Breaking Barriers to bring the initiative to the UK. With more than 120,000 refugees residing in the UK, WeWork hopes to provide refugees with job opportunities and personal growth through training and mentoring as they transfer into paid employment. Once inducted, these new members will be offered classes to enhance their English language skills and will have a chance to get to know other WeWork employees at monthly lunchtime meetings. In a further expansion of its training programme, the company will also offer coding and technology courses to aid their integration and growth at WeWork.

For more on how businesses are acting as forces for societal good, explore our Civic Brands macrotrend here.

Despite a recent fatality involving an autonomous vehicle, Chinese consumers have grown more confident in the concept of autonomous technology over the past year. In a study of more than 22,000 consumers in 17 countries worldwide, those in the Asia-Pacific region showed greater trust in driverless cars compared to any other major market.

As autonomous technology gains momentum in the automobile industry, The Future Laboratory co-founder Martin Raymond discusses how human interference could be the biggest challenge facing self-driving car manufacturers. Read his full opinion here.