Sole Supports is a privately owned and operated custom foot orthoticcompany located in Lyles, TN. They have a large market in podiatrists’offices across the world, which would increase if they could decreaseshipping time and costs while enlarging the manufacturing facilities. Thedesign team put together a solution in which doctors can scan a foamimpression of the customer’s foot and email it to Sole Supports. SoleSupports will use a computer program to extract x, y, z coordinates, scale toreal-world dimensions, and mill out an identical foam copy. This will saveSole Supports more than $460,000 in shipping per year and free up storagespace so that they can double manufacturing space, thus doubling theirprofits. Additionally, they will be able to expand into interested overseasmarkets because of eliminated inbound shipping costs and time.

ABSTRACTABSTRACT

Creating a 3D Imaging SystemBrad Boldizar1, Aubrey McKelvey1, Mackenzie Thomas1

Advised by: Dr. Paul King1, Dr. Ed Glaser2, and Matt Moore2

1Vanderbilt University Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nashville, TN, 2Sole Supports Inc., Lyles, TN

ReferencesReferences1. "Sole Supports Incorporated." 2006. Sole Supports, Inc.. <http://www.solesupports.com/>.2. King, Paul H. and Richard C. Fries. Design of Biomedical Devices and Systems. New York: Marcel

Dekker, 2003.3. "REI.com: Outdoor Gear & Clothing for Camping, Hiking, Backpacking and More!" 2006.

<http://gallery.rei.com>.4. "Modeling tools for designers." 2005. <http://www.rhino3d.com>.

Sole Supports aims to “produce the most functional custom foot orthotic…in order to prevent, reverse, or comfortably manage many common foot,lower extremity and spine pain syndromes, deformities and functionaldeficiencies.” Many over-the-counter varieties of orthotic insoles do notwork well for people because they overlook the fact that everyone’s archesare different. Sole Supports aims to fill this void in modern foot care.

WHAT SOLE SUPPORTS DOESWHAT SOLE SUPPORTS DOES

There are several objectives that we wanted to achieve with acomputer program. These include extracting the x, y, and z-intensityinformation from the scanned picture, putting these points into a columnarformat, and scaling these x, y, and z-intensity points into real-worlddimensions. To scale the points, we determined the number of pixels inone millimeter and used a simple linear equation to convert pixel positionto millimeters.

We began the project with the intention of using a LabViewenvironment to do this, but discovered that programming it in Pythonwould be simpler and more cost-effective (freeware). Our results fromPython gave us an error within the acceptable range of 2 mm.

SOFTWARE AND SCALINGSOFTWARE AND SCALING

• Make plastic apparatus on which doctors can place the foam block andprotect it from ambient light.

• Possibly try to find a less expensive scanner with an extra-long scanbed to make the apparatus more cost efficient for doctors’ offices.

• Sole Supports will eventually need to purchase new equipment, suchas a faster 3D milling machine and computers devoted to electronicstorage of data.

FUTURE PLANSFUTURE PLANS

IMPORTANCE OF ARCH STRUCTUREIMPORTANCE OF ARCH STRUCTURE

OUR GOALSOUR GOALS

1. Reduce excessive shipping time and cost.

2. Open up storage space for more room to manufacture.

Our Goals

Doctor seespatient in

office

Sole Supports sends foamblocks to participating doctors

Doctorimprintspatient’sfoot infoam

Doctor sends imprinted foamblocks back to Sole Supports

SoleSupports

checks forshippingdamage

SoleSupportscontinues

making theactual insole

Sole Supports sends more foamto the doctor for re-imprinting

Doctor callspatient back

in for re-imprinting

Doctor sends foam blocksback to Sole Supports

Sole Supports sends theinsoles to the doctor’s office

Doctors fitthe patient

with thenew custom

insoles

Sole Supportskeeps plaster

molds ofpatient’s feet

for 6+mo

COST ANALYSISCOST ANALYSISSole Supports can gain a financial return on investment (ROI) in a coupleof different ways:1. If we can eliminate shipping costs from the doctors’ offices to Sole

Supports, approximately $8-$16 per pair of insoles will be savedevery day. This amounts to ~$1280-$2560 per day saved onshipping, or more than $460,000 saved per year on shippingalone, not to mention the time savings.

2. Currently, Sole Supports uses a manufacturing space that is 10,000square feet. The storage facility is equal in size to the currentmanufacturing space, and if Sole Supports can convert the currentstorage space to more manufacturing room, they can double theirprofit, which is currently about $400 per square foot.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ANDPOSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ANDCHOSEN METHODCHOSEN METHOD

Two potential methods were more closely evaluated:1. Two-camera method• Doctors’ offices pour plaster into the foam, let dry, and cure

with UV light. Buy/build an image-capturing machine for SoleSupports to digitize impressions.

• Advantages: Foam blocks won’t crumble during shipping,storage space freed up, removes step in manufacturingprocess.

• Disadvantages: Doctors may still need to recast patients’ feetif improperly done, excess shipping time still there.

2. Scanner method• Doctors’ offices have scanner apparatus and email the

scanned image to Sole Supports.• Advantages: Foam blocks won’t crumble during shipping,

Sole Supports can check for improper casting almostimmediately, frees up storage space over time.

• Disadvantages: Upfront cost.We chose the scanner method because it solved all the problemsSole Supports needed to fix and had the fewest disadvantages:

scan

ner scanned

foot impression

Python Computerprogram

Scaled.txt file

Sole Supports 3D MillingMachine

PROOF OF CONCEPTPROOF OF CONCEPT

• are flexible, not rigid.• tend to flatten out without support (which can become permanent over time).• affect the position and stress placed on the ankles, knees, hips, and back. Many alignment problems can be traced to improper arch support.

Specific arch structures are unique to each person,but there are several common characteristicsamong people. Arches:

Because the arch has such an important role in proper alignment, andbecause each person has different arch structure, not only does the archneed support, but the support given also needs to be custom-made forthat arch. This is the idea upon which Sole Supports is based.

We used MS Excel to take a sampling of measurements from which weobtained a linear equation. This equation was used to scale the scannedimage to real-world dimensions. These dimensions were then plotted onthe x, y, and z axes in a program called RHINO, as shown in the picturebelow. Sole Supports will use RHINO to export the points to the 3Dmilling machine. This machine will mill out an identical copy of theoriginal foam block that was scanned in by the doctors’ offices. SoleSupports may continue the manufacturing process, having eliminatedexcess shippingtime and costs.When theinsole iscomplete, SoleSupports will beable to keep anelectronic copyof the datarather thanbulky plastercasts, solvingboth problemspresented bySole Supports.