Described are methods, systems, and devices for at least partly manufacturing a piece of apparel (e.g., a shoe), which incorporate manipulating at least one component of the piece of apparel with a particle jamming device.

An apparatus configured to break in footwear or sportswear includes: a three-dimensional model of a user's feet or body based on scanning or molding, wherein the three-dimensional model comprises a material configured to mimic biomechanical properties of the user's feet or body; a robotic motion simulator configured to simulate user-specific movements to break in the footwear or sportswear; and a controller configured to customize break-in protocols based on user-specific parameters, to thereby break in the footwear or sportswear emulating a process of the user's wearing the footwear or sportswear to break in without user discomfort while optimizing fit of the footwear or sportswear.

An apparatus configured to break in footwear or sportswear includes: a three-dimensional model of a user's feet or body based on scanning or molding, wherein the three-dimensional model comprises a material configured to mimic biomechanical properties of the user's feet or body; a robotic motion simulator configured to simulate user-specific movements to break in the footwear or sportswear; and a controller configured to customize break-in protocols based on user-specific parameters, to thereby break in the footwear or sportswear emulating a process of the user's wearing the footwear or sportswear to break in without user discomfort while optimizing fit of the footwear or sportswear.