Personalized insoles from Brooks made using 3D scanning technology.
Recently HP’s MultiJet Fusion printers to build custom insoles. Now, Superfeet has announced its first shoe brand partnership with Brooks, which could signal the beginning of true mass customization.
Together with Superfeet’s FitStation
powered by HP, Brooks will introduce a performance running shoe that’s based on an individual’s 3D foot scan, available via special order through select retail partners beginning June 2018.
“The ability to give an individual a
personalized shoe based on his or her unique biomechanics is a game changer. It
is a compelling offering for the runner who is interested in tip-of-the-spear
technology and a totally tuned experience,” said Brooks CEO Jim Weber. He
company has stated that it’s pursuing this technology because custom
personalization offers a competitive edge in the performance shoe market.
The scanning
system’s hardware and software combine 3D foot scanning with dynamic gait
analysis and foot pressure measurements, all with the aim of identifying the
unique motion path of the runner’s body.
Additive
Manufacturing or Injection Molding?
injection-molding machine, at least for this Brooks partnership.
The system uses
the 3D foot scans to determine the proper lasts which the shoes are built
around, ensuring each shoe is tailored to the specific shape of the runner’s
foot. Then—using a combination of variable PU injection with direct attach
capabilities—the foot pressure measurements and movement analysis of the
runner’s joints are combined with personal preferences to create personalized
midsole requirements with multiple tuned zones. All personalized footwear will
be manufactured in the U.S. at Superfeet’s world headquarters in Ferndale,
Wash.
Brooks will demonstrate the product
on Nov. 28-30 at The Running Event
in Austin, Texas, where the company will create personalized Brooks Levitate RS
shoes for select attendees. The new footwear will roll out to runners in June
2018 via special order through select retail partners.
A list of
participating retailers can be found on the Superfeet website.
