HP Reinvents Orthotics with Biometric Scanning and 3D Printing
14 September 2018 - 5:00PM
HP Inc. today announced a strategic alliance with Go 4-D, a 3D
printed medical orthotics industry visionary, to modernize the
process used to create custom orthotics.
As part of the alliance, Go 4-D will distribute FitStation
powered by HP throughout the North American medical market. HP’s
FitStation platform combines 3D foot scanning with dynamic gait
analysis to enable both orthotic recommendations and 3D printed
custom orthotics, prescribed from each person’s unique
biomechanics. This will enable Go 4-D to manufacture comfortable,
precise, and cost-effective custom orthotics using cutting-edge HP
Jet Fusion 3D printing systems.
The North American foot orthotic insoles market is expected to
grow to more than 1.7 billion U.S. dollars by 2022, according to a
Statista report.
“Given their extensive experience and knowledge of the custom
orthotic industry, Go 4-D and FitStation powered by HP are
perfectly positioned to pioneer the digital transformation of
custom 3D printed orthotics into the medical market,” said Edward
Ponomarev, general manager, commercial business development and
strategic partnerships, FitStation powered by HP. “FitStation is a
truly transformative platform that supports HP’s journey to
reinvent how the world designs and manufactures with commercial 3D
technologies.”
Despite advances in technology and innovative manufacturing
methods, custom orthotic manufacturing has not changed much since
the 1950’s. The preferred method still in use today by the majority
of North American Podiatrists, Pedorthists and Chiropodists is
vacuum-forming plastic over a positive of the foot. This
decades-old subjective manufacturing method, still taught in
colleges, takes no dynamic measurements into the design of the
device and the materials used through subtractive manufacturing
limit the functional capabilities.
The FitStation platform utilizes specialized hardware and
software components to capture an individual's unique 3D foot scan,
dynamic gait and pressure data. This data is automatically analyzed
to provide manufacturing instructions for 3D printed custom foot
orthotics.
“Our goal is to provide healthcare practitioners with the
ability to precisely prescribe a true custom 3D printed product for
optimal biomechanical function and comfort,” said Paul Linton,
Chief Executive Officer, Go 4-D. “FitStation is becoming a
disruptive enabler by solving a critical need for modernizing a new
era for custom orthotics used for work, sports and daily
activities.”
Go 4-D Leads the Custom Orthotic Industry into the
FutureThe Go 4-D leadership team has decades of experience
in the custom orthotic industry and understands the pitfalls of
manual, subjective, error-prone manufacturing that has dominated
the industry for more than five decades. Go 4-D has eliminated
these errors by combining the 3D and dynamic quantitative data from
FitStation, along with the practitioner’s clinical expertise. The
practitioner can now design a more precise orthotic that is 3D
printed with the utmost accuracy, specificity and design features
that has never been possible under traditional manufacturing
methods.
“There is a distressing need for custom orthotics that are made
right the first time and are not thick or bulky and can fit the
patients’ footwear,” said Dr. Lori Yarrow, Chief Customer Officer,
Go 4-D. “We are revolutionizing the orthotic business for clinics,
and HP’s FitStation platform will allow us to capture precise
analytical data and manufacture an orthotic that provides precise
correction in a lightweight design that fits in most shoes. This
data will be used to create exciting products that will help
patients’ feet function properly and alleviate pain or
discomfort.”
Precise diagnostic customization is crucial to correct fitting
orthotics. With biometric scanning, the foot specialist obtains
exact information about the pressure and timing of each area of the
foot and an exact 3D representation of the foot. This information
allows for complete customization directly into the lattice shell
of each orthotic. The custom 3D printed orthotic can provide
segmental and directional stiffness and incorporate various
additions and modifications directly into the printed product
optimizing their ability to work and reduce a patient’s
discomfort.
The new 3D printed custom orthotics that will be manufactured
using 3D software from the Materialise Software Backbone and HP Jet
Fusion 3D printing systems at Flowbuilt Manufacturing are based on
the thousands of data points that precisely capture the shape and
movement of each foot. The unique biomechanical lattice-design of
the Go 4-D 3D printed custom orthotic allows the foot specialist to
design with more precision than ever before. With 3D printing,
custom orthotics offer flexibility and segmental control, exactly
where the patient needs it.
About Go 4-D Inc.
Go 4-D offers a cloud-based, end-to-end ecosystem that
integrates foot scanning, ordering and 3D printing predicated on
evidence-based patient care. More information is available at:
https://go4-d.com/
About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone,
everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices,
solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More
information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.
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www.hp.com/go/newsroom |
Jim Christensen,
HPJim.Christensen@hp.com |
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