Technical Evaluation of a Cad System for Orthopaedic Shoe-Upper Design

Abstract

Computer aided design is now employed routinely in the volume shoe trade. New styles are developed on a three-dimensional image of the last followed by automated pattern generation and engineering. It is suggested that such systems could be useful in the orthopaedic footwear industry although the different requirements for these bespoke products need careful consideration. A clinical trial has been conducted on the Shoemaster (Clarks Shoes) upper design system both to assess its technical capabilities and to consider its role in improvement of service and cosmetic appearance. This particular system works throughout on a three-dimensional representation of the shoe last, which offers particular advantages for integration with shape capture and reproduction. The report concentrates on the technical evaluation to assess (a) its ability to work with unusual last shapes dictated by medical requirements and (b) its potential for integration into a complete computer system for design of both shoe lasts and shoe uppers. The trial indicates that this particular system is promising in both respects.

The use of 3D surface scanning for the measurement and assessment of the human foot

“…Attempts have been made to modernise the design and manufacture of lasts, using computerised design to replace more variable artisan skills. It is here that 3D scanning technologies provide the opportunity to take an extensive range of measurements from the digitisation of the foot or to use modern fabrication techniques such as rapid prototyping to manufacture a last based directly on the computer model [ 28 , 29 ]. An early attempt was made by Bao et al [ 30 ] to define an integrated system for the manufacture of personalised shoe lasts that were to be used in the design of orthopaedic shoes.…”

Psychological issues in prosthetic and orthotic practice

“…A recent article by Kuyper et al (2001) focusing on the prosthetic management of children with upper limb deficiencies highlights the importance of age at first fitting as a factor in rejection/acceptance of prostheses. Four articles published over a fifteen-year period afford very brief reference to developmental issues: Paul (1977); Narang and Jape (1982); Setoguchi (1991); and Lord and Foulston (1991). Parents' reactions to their child's disability, and the importance of counselling parents to develop realistic goals with regard to their child's future development form the basis of a paper by Setoguchi (1991), and are also briefly addressed by Narang and Jape (1982) and Boonstra et al (2000).…”

Foot Shape Modeling

“…Because of rapid advancements in computer processing capabilities, there is a drive to replace the expert last maker with a computer designer (Lord, Foulston, & Smith, 1991). Studies such as that by Tsutsumi and Kouchi (1992) represented the 3-D shape of the foot using Bezier curves.…”

“…The generalizability of Yavatkar's model is relatively unknown, as only one foot was used for the predicted model. In a manufacturing context, Lord et al (1991) discussed a computeraided design system for the custom design of orthopedic shoe uppers, and Houle, Beaulieu, and Liu (1998) described a method to make custom footwear.…”