This year we saw an avalanche of futuristic businesses pushing out creative products and dominating the 2017 landscape. Let’s check out our top 4 genius businesses and products that killed it this year…

1) Zero Mass Water

Pulling water from the air with the power of the sun? Genius. This world changing innovation called SOURCE from Zero Mass Water is an interesting step into a sustainable future. Working solely from a solar panel, SOURCE will create between 8 and 20 bottles of water per day using nothing but solar energy and the inherent moisture in the air itself. That’s it.

“No pipe input. No electrical input. No infrastructure. Independence means peace of mind. SOURCE is abundance in drinking water: up to a case of bottled water generated per day from a pair of panels.”

Based on ancient technology which traps and condenses moisture content from the air, this technology has the capacity to transform lives and provide clean and abundant water to populations without basic sanitation, power or infrastructure.

2) Lucid VR

With the recent gains made in personal Virtual Reality, and the ability of modern smartphones to snap into inexpensive VR headsets for a full on immersive experience, the next goal is to make creating VR content as simple as an iphone selfie.

Lucid VR are closing this gap with an affordable 180 degree 3D camera called LucidCam designed to create the most immersive memories imaginable.

“Do you have enough of being limited by framed images which do not show what you truly see with your eyes? We allow you to capture your experiences as you see them, fully and immersively.”

Forget showing your mate an instagram, show them what it was REALLY like to be on top of Everest or cycle in the alps or lose your sanity in a bar in Patong. All in glorious 3D 4k. These guys have closed the gap between watching and creating Virtual Reality recordings and experiences. Welcome to the future!

3) CastBox

Podcasts, audiobooks & on-demand digital radio… if you haven’t caught up yet gramps, these are the new audio mediums, but how accessible are they? How exactly do you find and listen to them? How do you search for them? With CastBox.

CastBox is the best way to listen to spoken audio including podcasts, on-demand radio, and audiobooks.

Essentially, this tight little app is akin to a ‘youtube for audio’. Audiophiles rejoice, you just found your new home.

4) Car Next Door

This modern Sydney startup which has tapped in to the gig economy/sharing model has been killing it in 2017. It’s essentially a ride share app that works like an airbnb but for your car!

Not using your car this weekend? Set it to available and you can earn money while your car is not being used. It’s a perfectly cheap and extremely handy app for those without a car who don’t drive a lot. Only drive once every few weeks? Why would you pay to own a car then? for a few bucks an hour plus mileage, just grab the Car Next Door to run your errands and drop it back, no upkeep, insurance, rego or parking hassles.