3D Foot Modeling for Customized Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The shoe industry lacks customization options, leading to consumers experiencing discomfort and sacrificing style for fit, with bespoke shoes being expensive and time-consuming, and current 3D printing technologies using uncomfortable, durable, or stylish materials without adequate mechanisms for creating user-specific footwear.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for capturing images of a body part to create a 3D model, analyzing unique features, and designing customized outerwear, including shoes, using additive manufacturing with specific materials and patterns for a perfect fit, integrated with sensors for therapeutic or medical treatments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional mass production methods are used for shoe manufacturing, then production efficiency and cost-effectiveness are improved, but customization capability and fit quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital 3D copy of the user's foot using photogrammetry technology. Multiple 2D images are processed to generate a precise 3D point cloud model that replicates the actual foot geometry. This digital copy serves as the foundation for designing customized footwear that perfectly matches the user's foot shape, enabling mass customization without traditional manual measurement processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms physical foot measurements into digital 3D coordinates and parameters. By converting real-world foot geometry into a parameterized 3D model, the system enables automated design generation and additive manufacturing. This parameter transformation allows the footwear design to be precisely adjusted to individual foot characteristics while maintaining efficient digital workflow.
2Manufacturing precision
If bespoke shoe manufacturing is used for customization, then fit quality and personalization are improved, but manufacturing cost and production time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary digital prototyping and fit simulation before actual manufacturing. The 3D foot model is used to generate and visualize the customized shoe design digitally, allowing for virtual fitting and design adjustments. This preliminary digital action eliminates the need for multiple physical prototypes and manual fitting iterations, significantly reducing production time while maintaining high fit quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical measurement and manual shoe-making processes with digital photogrammetry and additive manufacturing. Instead of physical measurement tools and hand-crafting methods, the system uses image-based 3D reconstruction and automated 3D printing, dramatically reducing production time while improving measurement accuracy and fit quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If current 3D printing materials are used for footwear, then manufacturing flexibility and customization capability are improved, but comfort and durability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material structures in the 3D printed footwear design. Multiple materials with different properties are combined within the single printed structure to achieve both customization and performance requirements. The composite approach allows soft, comfortable regions for foot contact and harder, more durable regions for structural support, all within one customized footwear piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality variations throughout the footwear structure. Different regions of the 3D printed shoe have different material densities, hardness, and flexibility characteristics tailored to specific functional requirements. Areas contacting the foot are optimized for comfort with softer materials, while load-bearing regions use harder materials for durability, all within the same customized footwear component.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of capturing images of body parts to create a three-dimensional (“3D”) model for designing customized outerwear are provided. Images of a body part are captured by an image sensor on a camera or mobile device from various angles, after which they are combined using an algorithm to generate a point cloud map of the image data which is used to generate a 3D representation of the body part. The 3D model of the body part can then be analyzed to determine any unique features of the body part that will require customized outerwear, such as pressure points, deformities, etc. The 3D model can thus be used to develop highly-customized outerwear for an individual. The 3D model is a digital file which can then be utilized by software to design the customized outerwear and request that the outerwear be manufactured, for example by additive manufacturing on a 3D printer.