Foot.com, the pioneering 3D foot data website hosted by Aetrex, first launched in September 2022 with the mission to help footwear designers and developers take the guesswork out of the shoe design process. The website aggregates and filters millions of global 3D foot scans from Aetrex’s latest 3D foot scanners, the Albert 2 Pro and the Albert 3DFit. These scanners are unique and vital to the data collection process in that they use a pure computer vision model to create the most accurate 3D reconstruction of the foot available on the market.
Foot.com allows users to view and extract global 3D foot data organized by gender, foot size, country and other demographics. Once desired filters are set, users can collect detailed measurements from the foot scans and use the data to create better-fitting and functioning shoes.
New Features for Infinite, Accurate Measuring
The platform boasts a few new, exciting updates, giving designers endless opportunities to analyze complete 3D foot data within an easy-to-use format. The first update is the Development Lab “Lasso” tool. Much like a true lasso, the tool virtually “wraps” around the 3D foot and can be moved on an axis at any angle to measure and analyze a cross-section of any aspect of a 3D foot scan. Users can also identify two spots within a cross-section to measure and get even more detailed data.
“Footwear designers and developers are really excited about this new ‘Lasso’ feature because it is much more accurate than measuring with a tape measure and the human eye, which many footwear designers still rely on today,” said Larry Schwartz, chief executive officer of Aetrex, Inc. “There is much less room for human error. Being able to measure any aspect of the foot helps footwear designers create more anatomically correct footwear because all the measurements they need are right at their fingertips. They don’t have to guess.”
The second update to the platform allows users to 3D-print data-driven foot models for fit trials. This allows shoe designers and developers to optimally check fit throughout the footwear development cycle. This leaves less room for error than traditional fit methods which typically involve human feet that can vary a lot even within the same shoe size.
“For example, rather than using fit models and hoping she is a perfect size 7, shoe developers will be able to use a 3D-printed data-driven foot model for a size 7 foot to properly fit-test any shoe. It really opens doors for technology to lead the shoe development process,” said Schwartz.
The last update involves the inclusion of anatomical reference points. The platform now allows users to measure various aspects of a 3D foot scan based on 16 standard landmarks of the foot, determined by Aetrex in partnership with the IEEE. Schwartz explained that these geographic landmarks are useful for footwear designers to integrate into their design process to create lasts with better accuracy.
Are Feet the Same Throughout the World?
Aetrex’s 3D foot scan data shows feet really do vary per region. “One of the things that we’ve learned is that feet have very different 3-dimensional characteristics in different areas throughout the world. For example, Asian feet, on average, are wider with lower insteps than feet in the U.S.,” said Schwartz. With Foot.com, developers now have the detailed measurement tools to create properly fitting footwear for different geographic markets.
Foot.com offers all of these unprecedented tools and measurements in a new easy-to-use dashboard located on the main page to streamline the navigation between the different filters and pages.
Aetrex’s mission with Foot.com is to help all footwear brands establish measurement standards so the industry can put out the best-fitting footwear possible. “The launch of the Development Lab along with the ability to 3D-print data-driven foot models for better fit trials paves the way for the future of footwear development,” said Schwartz. “Our goal is to utilize the latest technologies available and constantly innovate to help move our industry forward in designing shoes that truly fit and function better than ever.”
BY FMG STUDIOS
