Christmas tree decorations, miniature New York City models, product prototypes – these are just some of the things you can make using a 3D printer. The possibilities are boundless.

Now, Adidas presents to us its own 3D-printed running shoes, Futurecraft 3D; a conceptual prototype from the company to show what the future of Adidas may be.

Eric Liedtke, Executive Board Member of Adidas AG, responsible for Global Brands, says: “Futurecraft 3D is a prototype and a statement of intent. Our 3D-printed midsole not only allows us to make a great running shoe, but also to use performance data to drive truly bespoke experience, meeting needs of any athlete.”

Befitting its name, Futurecraft 3D is an aspiration Adidas wishes to fulfill, so that anyone can walk into an Adidas store, run briefly on a treadmill and instantly receive a 3D-printed running shoe.

This is Adidas’ ambition; to create a flexible, fully breathable carbon copy of the athlete’s own footprint, matching exact contours and pressure points, thus bringing the best running experience to runners.

For runners out there, this is very good news. We all know how hard it can be to find the right fit when it comes to running shoes. Most of us have to be content with the strain on small pressure points on our sole when we’re running, especially when we’re trying to run a marathon. No shoes is ever the perfect fit.

But with 3D printing, this may change. It also may alter the way we shop for our sports shoes. No more endless trying-on of shoes after shoes that do not fit you. You simply hop on a treadmill, run for a while, and voila! You have your own personalised running companion.

If this idea actually takes off, we may even see the option for customers to design their own shoes, or at least, pick their own colour. And it will be interesting to see how Adidas is going to provide the same technology for other sports shoes. We may even see customers running around kicking a ball or dunking a basketball in Adidas stores in the future.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if the Futurecaft 3D will indeed be the future of running shoes, or any other sports shoes, but we are definitely intrigued to see what Adidas plans to do next.