Development of Custom Shoe-Last from Foot Scan Data

Due to the changes in consumer needs, there is a shift from mass-production to mass-customization and personalization. Given that Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region produce billions of footwear per year, hence mass-customized, personalized, and custom footwear are needed. In order to do this, there is a need to develop software and method for quick custom shoe-last design and manufacturing. Custom shoe-last is the basis of making custom footwear. Once shoe-last has been machined, it is relatively easier to make custom footwear. Currently, custom shoe-last is manually made making the cost for production exorbitant. With the advent of 3D laser scanning technology, 3D foot scans are becoming common, therefore new methods to design shoe-last based on foot scans is essential. This project aims to develop a system to generate custom ladies shoe-last using existing shoe-last, and design guidelines to assure good footwear fitting. Using scanned data from feet, last design and shoe tests, the appropriate fitting range and measures will be determined. Results from this study are essential for custom shoe-last design for custom footwear manufacturing; effective method for 3D fit quantification for selection of best shoe-last based on existing systems; and develop of cost effective custom footwear.