A method for manufacturing a sandal, wherein the toe thong location of said sandal is customised for a wearer. For a particular wearer, the optimal location of the toe thong of the sandal may be determined by applying a computer algorithm, which takes into account foot data of the wearer, which foot data may be obtained from image/video capture technology. The method makes use of a custom toe thong insert, which is embedded within the sole of the sandal. The custom toe thong insert is configured to receive and securely engage with a fastener attached to the toe thong and foot strap, such that the toe thong will be positioned at or proximate to the optimal location for the particular wearer. Also disclosed herein is a sandal with a customised toe thong location that is made in accordance with the above-described method.

The present invention provides an apparatus for acquiring data for designing a last capable of accurately measuring a three-dimensional shape of a sole of a foot that is curved as if a footwear is being worn thereon. The apparatus for acquiring data for designing a last includes a placement section 2 for placing feet F and F thereon and an imaging means 3 arranged around the placement section 2. The placement section 2 includes a heel rest 12 for placing the heel of the foot F or the foot F thereon, thereby enabling accurate measurement of the data of the sole that is curved in such a state as if footwear having a heel such as a pump is being worn thereon, without moving the foot during the measurement.

The invention relates to an inspection method of a shoe worn by a foot of an individual comprising the following steps: acquiring (S1) a thermal image of the shoe when it is worn by a foot of the individual by means of a thermal camera, determining (S2), from the thermal image of the shoe, a lower limit of the foot of the individual, determining (S3) a position of the shoe relative to the thermal camera at the time of acquisition of the thermal image, and deducing (S4) of the position of the shoe relative to the camera and of the lower limit of the foot, a distance between the lower face of the sole and the lower face of the foot of the individual.

A system for automatic fitting of athletic footwear comprises a measuring device of foot data that scans a user's foot at least at two directions; a user interface that questions the user, and/or observes the user's foot; an analyzing device that analyzes the foot data measured by the measuring device; and a knowledgebase database that stores data for footwear determination provided by the analyzing device. The analyzing device comprises a case based reasoning system that goes through adaptation process in a similarity matrix of previous cases which are retrieved from the knowledgebase database, and an expert system that operates a function that determines a footwear based on the data provided by the measuring device and the user interface.

The original contoured thumb and finger pick for players of stringed instruments introduced an incredible innovation for guitar players and others. Improvements based on this unique concept have transformed a useful tool into an extremely comfortable and natural strumming aid. The pick saddle totally follows the thumb and finger contours for greater comfort and the band is secured to the pick with a low profile post.

Systems and methods for generating a footwear configuration are provided. A user input dataset related to footwear is received. A scan of a user foot is determined to be required based on the user input dataset. A request for the scan of the user foot is provided and the scan of the user foot is received in response to the scan of the user foot being required. A foot measurement representative of a portion of the user foot from the scan of the user foot is extracted. A configurable area of the footwear profile is adjusted based on the foot measurement. A recommended footwear configuration is generated based on the footwear profile and the adjusted configurable area.

Provided is a size measurement system for measuring the size of a user's foot, said system characterized by comprising: a size measurement instrument which is formed from a stand for the user to place the foot thereon, and a plurality of markers which are positioned in the periphery of the stand; and a measurement terminal which captures an image of a state in which the user has placed the foot on the stand in the size measurement instrument such that the plurality of markers can be recognized from a plurality of directions, and which computes size data for the foot from contour information for the foot obtained through the image capture from each of the directions

A method for measuring foot size and shape by using image processing, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a step of acquiring an image captured by simultaneously photographing a user's foot and an item having a standardized size; and a calculation step of calculating foot size or shape information from the image. The image is captured when at least a part of the user's foot comes in contact with the item.

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for processing foot information and recommending a type and size of shoes, based on three-dimensional (3D) scanning of a foot.

Various articles, such as footwear, apparel, athletic equipment, watchbands, and the like, and methods of forming those articles are presented. The articles are generally formed, in whole or in part, using rapid manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, stereolithography, solid deposition modeling, and the like. The use of rapid manufacturing allows for relatively economical and time efficient manufacture of customized articles. The articles may include one or more reinforcements configured to provide added durability to various regions of the articles. In addition, the articles may be formed from two or more materials in a single rapid manufacturing process. The rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique may also include using of varying intensities of the laser to fuse material to form the articles.

A method for determining a footwear size based on a 3D foot size is provided. The method may comprise: (a) providing a sock with multiple visual reference markers; (b) obtaining, with aid of a user device, an image data of a foot covered by the sock, wherein the image data comprises at least one of the multiple visual reference markers; (c) generating a 3D model of the foot using the image data; and (d) determining a footwear size based on the 3D model of the foot or one or more foot size parameters extracted from the 3D model of the foot.