A game-changing technology
You don’t have to be a fashion guru to understand shoes are a big deal. The average U.S. woman owns 17 pairs of shoes and makes at least three new purchases each year1. According to a research by Global Industry Analysts, the net worth of global footwear market is estimated to reach $195 billion by 2015 and 63% of the overall production happens in China2. By December 2013, there were 302 million e-shoppers in China3, doubling that of the U.S. In a global survey done by PWC, 14% of Chinese respondents said they shop online every day4.
What does it all point to? The footwear market is huge and has much potential for growth. E-commerce is all the rage and people buy almost everything online. Yet, online shoe shops have encountered high return rates because of poor fit. To most e-shoppers, shoes remain one of those apparel items that have to be tried on in person and not to be shopped online. “There hasn’t been a satisfactory method for fit evaluation because it entails detailed 3D foot shape, rather than just a size – a highly inaccurate system existed for over 100 years. Until our low-cost 3D foot scanner was invented, most retailers don’t have the financial leeway to acquire steeply priced laser or optical based foot scanners,” said Dr Ameersing Luximon, Associate Professor of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing. A game-changing technology that forever alters the way people shop for shoes, the highly affordable 3D foot scanner developed by Dr Luximon and his team is more than adequate for the purpose of custom-making shoe-lasts.
The mechanism: a “similarities and differences” approach
According to Dr Luximon, his 3D foot scanner is based on software with knowledge-based and geometric modelling techniques. “When we look at a human foot, we know it’s not any other body part or a foot of other animals, meaning there is an archetypal shape that can be generalized from all human feet. On the other hand, every foot is different in terms of proportions,” he explained. The foot scanner uses a “similarities and differences” approach to register discrepancies of foot measurements against an average 3D foot shape to predict a digitalized 3D foot model of the user.
“With this digital 3D mapping of your feet, you can have your shoes made anywhere in the world without having to be there. A bespoke shoemaker can use this model to make custom shoe-lasts for shoes that fit a customer’s feet perfectly. An online shoe seller may check this foot model against the existing 3D mappings of his stock to recommend shoe styles and sizes that fit a customer comfortably. A shoe manufacturer offering mass customization options may use the model to fine-tune certain parts of the shoes.” Dr Luximon added, “This technology radically changes the pre-conceived idea that you must try shoes on to know if they fit or not. It changes the game once and for all.”
So, the keyword of the technology is “low-cost,” which flags it up as the one to watch among cost-conscious footwear entrepreneurs. “Our 3D foot scanner considerably brings down the cost. It’s the first truly affordable foot scanner for high-street retailers and even online shoe shops. Laser and optical foot scanners cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our 3D foot scanner, thanks to the use of inexpensive webcams, costs substantially less. With a mean error of about 1.7 mm, our system is more than enough for customized footwear because one’s foot measurement varies up to 2 mm at different states and time of the day. It’s also portable and compact enough for most shops,” said Dr Luximon. The award-winning technology is now exclusively licensed to a digital solution company.
[1] Abraham, Tamara. “Head over heels: How the average U.S. woman owns 17 pairs of shoes (and most of them flats).” MailOnline. 15 Mar 2011. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1366553/Head-heels-How-average-U-S-woman-owns-17-pairs-shoes-flats.html
[2] Pearson, Lewis. “Footwear Industry Market Research and Statistics.” ReportLinker. Retrieved from http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02119/Footwear.html
[3] Hong, Kaylene. “China's Internet population hit 618 million at the end of 2013 with 81% connecting via mobile.” The Next Web, 16 Jan 2014. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/01/16/Chinas-internet-population-numbered-618m-end-2013-81-connecting-via-mobile/
[4] Sabina. “PWC: 14% Chinese Shopping Online Everyday.” China Internet Watch. 15 Apr 2014. Retrieved from http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/7107/14-percent-chinese-shopping-online-everyday/
