Gallery: How an iPad and a 3-D Printer Can Fix Your Sweaty, Messed Up Feet
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A startup called Sols creates kinetic orthotics using a stack of technology similar to what Tony Stark might have invented if he were a foot fetishist.
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A 3-D model of a patient's foot is captured using an iPad, therapeutic adjustments are made in a web-based app, and the final product is manufactured with a 3-D printer.
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Sols will also be launching a direct to consumer version of the service where a patient can scan their own foot with a smartphone and order a custom fit insert for approximately $100.
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The Sols team spent months developing their first prototypes and sent new inserts to a group of beta testers weekly.
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Schouwenburg hopes to craft a turnkey solution a partner like Zappos could integrate into their offering. Instead of clicking "buy," a customer could also click "customize" and make any changes needed to the shoes before they're shipped.
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The finalized CAD model is sent to a Sols manufacturing facility where a selective laser sintering 3-D printer fuses a special blend of nylon powder into a durable, anti-microbial, and stylish foot support.
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A few days later, the patient gets a new spring in their step—literally since the responsive inserts return energy to the wearer.
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Sols requires very little human interaction—dusting off the finalized part is one of the few interactions.
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While most companies trade on 3-D printing's novelty, Sols wants to make scanning, modeling, and 3-D printing products pedestrian.
