An impression device has a base having a recess and a conduit for fluidly coupling the recess to a vacuum source configured to temporarily apply a vacuum pressure to the recess. The device has a first plurality of particles positioned in the recess, the first plurality of particles sealed from an external environment and consisting essentially of a plurality of circular glass beads. The device has a flexible membrane coupled to the base adjacent to the first plurality of particles and holding the first plurality of particles in the base. The first plurality of particles has a first coefficient of friction between each other selected to allow the particles to move relative to each other in the absence of the vacuum pressure and to prevent the particles from moving relative to each other in the presence of the vacuum pressure.

The invention provides an algorithm-driven method that uses a set of mathematical techniques and numerical procedures to carry out an automatic design for therapeutic insoles. Objectives of the invention include relieving soft tissue overpressure, aligning bone segments and redistributing loads located in specific zones of the foot.

The present invention discloses a tilting controller that measures foot-related human biomechanical data. The tilting controller for measuring foot-related human biomechanical data includes a mechanism having a foot hold on which a rear foot portion is placed, and a control module that tilts the foot hold by controlling the mechanism portion.

Articles of footwear and methods of making articles of footwear including one or more continuous threads wound around anchor points. The winding of the one or more continuous threads forms a thread pattern that imparts desired characteristics to components of the article of footwear. Thread lines of the thread pattern may be bonded together. In some embodiments, thread lines may be bonded with a bonding layer.

A footbed for use in footwear is provided. The footbed assembly includes a resilient, flexible material (e.g. EVA or PU foam) that extends the entire length of the footbed. a heel plate made from a material that is more rigid (plastic, carbon fiber) than the resilient foam attaches to the flexible material. The shape of the resilient footbed defines a geometry that provides support and comfort to the user by reducing peak pressures, improving cushioning, and enhancing foot support. The resilient foam and heel plate defines the shape of the midfoot R2 and rearfoot R1 of the footbed while the resilient flexible foam continues forward to define the shape of the forefoot R3 region of the footbed.

A sole measuring device includes a slow recovery memory unit configured to receive a foot sole and to create a foot print, an alignment unit connected to the slow recovery memory unit used for indicating an alignment position of the foot, and a scale unit connected to the slow recovery memory unit used for providing a scale mark. The present invention is able to measure not only foot length but also foot width precisely, as well as foot arch can be inferred properly.

The present invention is a system and method for identifying certain physical properties of human feet. The system uses electronic and optical elements to perform before and after pronation test and before and after arch tests (meaning before and after use of an orthotic), and develop a 360 degree, three-dimensional view of the foot. It includes an insertable shoe-simulator used to assist in providing before- and after analysis of pronation.

A method is provided for making footwear utilizing a spray-on material. The method can include spraying a spray-on fabric onto surfaces of a three dimensional last. The last can be produced using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, based on data corresponding to dimensions and contours of a consumer's foot, and/or preselected aesthetic footwear designs. The spray-on fabric is sprayed onto the surfaces of the last and allowed to cure to form a flexible, non-woven fabric upper. The upper can be removed from the last and turned inside out. With the upper turned inside out, a sole can be joined to the fabric upper to form the footwear.

Methods and apparatuses for designing custom footwear are disclosed. An apparatus for designing custom footwear may include a data collection system, a data processing system, and a manufacturing system, where the manufacturing system includes an additive manufacturing device. A method for designing custom footwear may comprise receiving user-specific data, generating a user model, identifying issues in the user model, determining corrective features, generating a custom footwear model, and manufacturing the custom footwear.

Systems and methods are disclosed for recommending products or services by receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of one or more products; performing motion tracking and understanding an environment with points or planes using accelerometer sensor and estimating light or color in the environment using one video camera without a depth sensor in a mobile phone; acquiring sensor data from sensors and optimizing features extracted from each image and sensor data, where a feature conveys data unique to the image at a specific pixel location; and projecting the product in the environment.