A low-cost, highly accurate and handy 3D foot scanner is driving a new wave of online footwear shopping.

Sue, a keen online shopper, makes purchases at least once a week. Yet surprisingly, she is reluctant to buy shoes on the Web. "I just dream of simply ordering a pair of shoes online and having them fit", she said. In fact, this is a dream that many online shoppers share. A cost-effective 3D foot scanner developed by PolyU could make the dream come true, helping online footwear sellers deliver the best first-time fit for custom shoes.

 

3D foot scanner and its measurement display

Recent years have seen the emergence of a vibrant global footwear market and the rapid expansion of e-commerce. However, online footwear sales have been heavily affected by high return rates due to poor fit. In view of this, Dr Ameersing Luximon at PolyU’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing developed a 3D foot scanner, changing the footwear ecosystem and offering a new experience of footwear production and shopping.

 

Dr Ameersing Luximon

Built with knowledge-based software and geometric modelling techniques, the scanner uses the "similarities and differences" approach to register discrepancies in foot measurements against average 3D foot shapes to predict digitalized 3D foot models. This creates new online shopping possibilities: consumers can order best-fit footwear anywhere in the world without being there, online sellers can offer the best shoes in just the right styles and sizes, and shoemakers offering mass customization options can use the models to fine-tune the designs and sizes of certain parts of their shoes. With a mean error of about 1.7mm, the system generates less variation than that of physical foot measurement at different times of the day.

With its low cost achieved through the use of inexpensive webcams, the compact scanner has huge market potential. The technology has now been exclusively licensed to a digital solution company for mass production and product diversification. ♦