Shoe company Corpus.e has developed an affordable 3D foot scanner that uses industrial camera technology to generate a model of the foot for producing custom-made shoes.
The Lightbeam scanner is lightweight, compact and economic. It uses a special stocking with a USB2.0 camera from IDS to record photogrammetric markings for a precise, 3D representation of the foot.
Dirk Rutschmann, CEO of Corpus.e, commented: ‘Mobility, easy handling and the cost factor of the device were what we focused on when we were developing the Lightbeam 3D foot scanner. Based on the IDS industrial cameras, we are able to offer a solution that only costs a fifth of the price of conventional laser scanners to buy. They also eliminate the maintenance expense for the regular calibration laser scanners require.’
The camera records the 3D outline of the foot in a circular motion, so that heel, toes and the arch of the foot are recorded simultaneously in a single scanning process.
The system is ideally suited to orthopaedic footwear specialists or shoemakers making custom shoes. Because of this innovation, custom shoes for congenital foot problems or feet deformed by accident or illness will be faster and cheaper to manufacture and adapt to individual needs.
