I initially came up with this capstone idea during my second year of undergrad. I was enamored by the Futurecraft 4D shoe and wanted to 3D print something of my own. I didn't have the skills or knowledge back then but I'm happy I was able to bring this idea to life, lead this team, and get a prototype out there before COVID took our progress online.​

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Every single person has a different foot and under normal means it would be hard to capture these geometries. Using 3D printing and scanning technology to provide an optimal balance of comfort, customization, and time in a solution, we hypothesize that the use of patient-specific biometric data coupled with a customization algorithm will result in a midsole that can improve biomechanical function and support for lower foot issues solely unique to them. We worked hard to create a real product and algorithm that would modulate the infill percentage based on the patients pressure points, stride length, and weight. We printed in Ninjaflex as that would allow for compression and flexibility in a shoe cushion similar to a foam like Boost.

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In the image at the header, the left image shows the 3D scan of my foot using a photogrammetry laser scanner. Importing the scan into Fusion 360 was easy but making it a solid that could cut into an unsculpted midsole was tough. From a form that we created to match my arches and footshape, the green prototype was born from a 16+ hour long print with Ninjaflex on a TAZ 5 3D printer. We knew our first iteration was too soft and the forefoot had to be denser. We used hexagonal cutouts to provide rigidity for compression but flexibilty in during stride in the forefoot. The arc was also supported by hex cutouts with a layer of soft Ninjaflex on top to prevent irritation. Further iterations above were never printed due to the pandemic.

The initial plan was to work with the Motion Analysis and Motor Performance Lab to use motion capture studies and compare patients with plantar fasciitis walking with and without our midsole. Dr. Shawn Russell, the lab head, was our capstone advisor. Due to the pandemic, our verification testing was performed on Autodesk Fusion 360's finite element analysis stress simulations. The results show a noticeable decrease in peak stresses and a better area of pressure distribution as the iterations went on.