Apr. 8, 2015 | By Simon
Oftentimes when we hear about 3D printed products for the human body, it comes in the form of any number of prosthetic devices designed to enable those with missing limbs or are otherwise in need of assisting devices. However just because somebody may not be missing a limb doesn’t mean that they aren’t in need of an assistance device - such as orthotics.
With 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, it comes with little surprise that many health problems can stem from foot-related issues. Combine that with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 steps that an average person takes each day - which adds up to 115,000 miles or 4 times around the circumference of the globe in a lifetime - and there’s bound to be a large population in need of a product that helps to better-support their feet.
With a background in material science developing lightweight materials, Alan Jacobsen Ph. D. has since changed his direction of focus to develop custom insoles under his newly-establish company Light Insoles.
Thanks to his experience with not only developing lightweight materials but also ways of using them in manufacturing, Jacobsen has developed a new technique for developing the insoles that combines additive manufacturing technologies with traditional composites manufacturing.
Prior to founding Light Insoles, Dr. Jacobsen was one of the integral material scientists at HRL Laboratories responsible for developing the Ultralight Metallic Microlattice, which when it was released held the record for the World’s Lightest Material. Since then, the talented material scientist - who holds a Ph.D. from University of Southern California, MS from Northwestern University, and BS from New Mexico State University - has also worked on developing another company that focuses on light-curing technologies.
Perhaps inspired in part by his wife Caitlin, an avid cyclist and runner who uses custom orthotics, Jacobsen’s new Mold-to-Sole Technology presents an entirely new way of manufacturing world-class custom orthotics for those in need of a high-quality solution.
"If your goal is to make thin custom-shaped parts, such as shoe insoles or orthotics, building up your part layer-by-layer makes sense, just not the way a 3D printer does it", said Jacobsen. "Composites manufacturing, which builds up layers of long reinforcement fibers is a better approach. The only problem is that traditional composites manufacturing usually requires expensive tooling and long heat cycles to make a part."
The technology uses light-curing resin instead of heat-cured resin to bond together the reinforcement fibers that make up the insoles and can be made in minutes without the need for expensive tooling. Additionally, the new light-curing technique utilizes energy efficient UV-LEDs and eliminates the need for any materials containing VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which ultimately makes the process environmentally-friendly.
"I've had custom orthotics in the past and didn't like the bulky feel, so when my husband said he had a better way for making custom insoles, I was skeptical. But after running over 700 miles in them so far, I don't want to run without them," said Caitlin, whose active lifestyle has also led her to create the blog LA Running Mama.
Because the Light Insoles are so thin and light, they are capable of fitting into even the tightest of shoes - including cycling shoes. Because the fit of a cycling shoe is vital for transferring the load from your foot to the pedal, the use of orthotics in them can be a challenge, however with the Light Insoles, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
"Our Light Insoles are ultrathin, so they can easily fit into your cycling shoes, but they are also very supportive to help transfer all the load from your foot to the pedal,” added Jacobsen. “And because they are custom shaped to your foot, they are extremely comfortable."
Currently Jacobsen is offering the custom insoles on Kickstarter starting at just $65. Users who purchase them will use the Mold to Sole Technology to mold their foot at home before sending the mold back to the company where they will make the custom orthotic and ship it back to the customer.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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That is awesome that you can get customized soles of your shoes to fit directly with what you need. I bought some for my brother when he went on a service mission, because I knew he would be walking a lot. He was so glad that I did, they helped his feet tremendously. Thank you for sharing!
James Bay wrote at 11/3/2015 5:01:15 PM:
I have been needing orthotics. These look amazing! I will need to look into buying these. Thank you for the help on finding orthotics! http://www.scorthotic.com
Jack wrote at 10/10/2015 8:17:50 AM:
How light are the orthotics?? In grams. This would be helpful Thankyou
Jake White wrote at 10/8/2015 4:32:09 PM:
My wife and I have been training for a half marathon, and even though we just bought her brand new shoes, she still complains about not having enough cushion. This idea to create a custom mold for the shape and design of the users foot is an excellent idea, and might be well worth our investment to try to help my wife get some better comfort when she runs. Maybe she has an odd shaped foot or something that might need special attention. Thanks for the information!
Chase Wilson wrote at 7/15/2015 7:06:44 PM:
Great article! I think taking care of your feet and making sure your shoes fit properly is such an important thing to do. If your feet are hurting, then chances are your posture is bad, too. I got plantar fascitis from running too much, and no matter what I have done my feet are killing me. I think that I should probably go see a doctor and get some custom orthotics to take care of the problem.
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