The best designed products of 2017

A virtual-reality experience that alters the wearer’s sense to simulate autism is one of the best designed products of the year.

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Heeju Kim

Good product design has the power to redefine the way we interact with the world.

That can mean presenting a new, more efficient way to cook dinner or changing the way parents interact with a sick child.

In that spirit, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has announced 77 finalists for its 2017 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), which are given to designers and concepts that have achieved excellence in product design in the past year.

The winners will be announced August 19.

Here are some of the best designs from around the world.

The VECTRA WB360 3D Whole Body Imaging System is the first machine capable of producing a 360-degree picture of the human body. It has 92 cameras to capture body shape and skin conditions, useful for surgeons and dermatologists.

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HS Design

Real Rain uses the same amount of water as a traditional shower but mimics actual rain with droplets and irregular spacing between bursts of water.

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Kohler

Q-Collar helps athletes prone to brain injury, such as football or soccer players, minimize their risk. The collar gently tightens around the neck to reduce the brain’s tendency to slosh inside the skull.

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Q30 Innovations

Polaroid Snap Touch cameras blend the company’s original retro feel with a much smaller, digital footprint.

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Polaroid

Buy it here.

The Surface Studio from Microsoft is the company’s first desktop PC. It’s built for creative types, like designers and architects, to have maximum control over their projects.

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Darren Weaver/Business Insider

Buy it here.

Microsoft HoloLens is the first holographic device to be self-contained and unplugged from any remote computer. It uses projected images to immerse the wearer in an augmented reality.

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Microsoft

Buy it here.

Tupperware’s MicroPro Grill lets users bake, grill, and sauté foods directly inside the microwave. Heating technology inside the grill turns microwaves into direct or convection heat.

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Tupperware

Buy it here.

InnoSpire Go is an electronic nebulizer that simplifies how people of all ages take their medication. It offers quick treatment — around four minutes — and its long battery life allows for up to 30 uses between charges.

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Philips

Google Home is the personal assistant unveiled as a counter to Amazon’s Echo. The bases are customizable and the device responds intuitively to most commands.

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Google

Samsung’s FlexWash and FlexDry washer-dryer combo handle multiple kinds of laundry loads at once. Both feature a front and top load to keep items separate.

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Samsung

The Ember mug gives coffee drinkers ultimate control by letting them determine the exact temperature of their beverage.

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Starbucks

Buy it here.

Google’s Chromebook Plus Pro has a sleek, fanless design that accommodates users whether they prefer to use tablets or computers. It comes with a stylus attached to the side of the device.

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Samsung

Buy it here.

Intended to bring parents closer to their hospitalized children, Blink sends colored signals over the 3G network from one orb to another. Parents can send their love wordlessly if physical contact is rare.

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SapientRazorfish

Automist Smartscan is a smarter sprinkler system that uses 90% less water to extinguish fires. The device detects extreme rises in temperature, scans the room for the source, and releases a wall of misted water to put out the fire without damaging property.

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Plumis Automist

ASISTM: A Healthcare System for Seniors in Assisted Living is a concept for helping seniors in nursing home live more safely. Sensors in a floor mat pick up vitals on weight and balance, while the toilet back improves posture.

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Astha Vagadia

LG’s airport cleaning robot dutifully crawls along terminal floors to pick up debris and alert nearby travelers of its presence. A fleet of robots can be controlled remotely from an app.

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LG

Speech, hearing, and visual systems can all be impaired for people with autism. “An Empathy Bridge for Autism” uses Google Cardboard to give people a sense of what life is like, in order to build compassion.

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Heeju Kim

The Unit Helmet System is a multi-purpose helmet that also includes a face visor, head lamp, and ear protection for loud noises. Each element connects with a magnetic snap.

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Jaehoon Jung

Tascent InSight One is a system airports can use to scan travelers’ irises and faces as they pass through security. The concept relies on identity data kept in the cloud to issue a “Pass” or “No Pass” signal.

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Tascent

Samsung’s Q9500 floor air conditioner rethinks traditional A/C units by constantly changing the direction of the air flow. It’s an effort to blanket the room in a comfortable temperature, rather than blast a column of cold wind in one spot.

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Samsung