Sometimes it feels like the best looking shoes are also the most uncomfortable. That is just something people have to deal with when the shoe is designed to fit every foot. Buying slip-in insoles can help, but these too are made to fit feet more generally. Superfeet, a company that specializes in insoles, has announced ME3D to bring custom, 3D-printed insoles to people’s feet.
Beginning this summer, select retailers around the U.S. will be able to scan consumers’ feet and order a custom pair of insoles for printing. ME3D is created using HP technology. By walking across a special mat, users have their feet and gait analyzed using submillimeter-definition and biomechanical pressure analysis. Depending on how the feet move and interact with the ground, a 3D-printed shape can be fully individualized. Unlike traditional insoles, this allows any idiosyncrasies between the feet to be taken into account.
“For 40 years, we have set the standard for shape and fit. Until today the technology was not available to deliver a 3D-printed insole that met Superfeet’s exacting standards,” said Eric Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer at Superfeet. “Our new solution allows us to create the most individualized shape and fit solution on the planet.”
To bring its insoles to people across the country, Superfeet is teaming up with select premium retailers across the country. Throughout the summer, nine retailers in 11 locations will roll out the ME3D technology. A full list of retail locations is located on the official product page. Future plans for additional retailers are already underway.
There are plenty of other ways to making the world a little more comfy for feet. Digitsole is currently working on the first adaptive cushioning smart sneakers. Using a microcellular polymer, this insole responds to stress and compression pointing and shifts support as needed. For some people, it is not that they are not comfortable, it is that their feet won’t stay warm. ThermaCell has created heated insoles with a wireless remote to keep feet warm, no matter how cold the weather gets.
Superfeet ME3D insoles are designed in-store, then printed and shipped within one or two weeks. Getting a custom-fit insole will cost $150 per pair.
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