RESA Wearables Brings Custom 3D Printed Insoles to Kiosks Around China
Clare Scott
Insoles aren’t expensive, and they can be purchased at most shoe stores and pharmacies to help with foot pain and discomfort. Depending on their quality, off-the-shelf insoles do provide some degree of comfort, but they don’t fully address many issues, leaving wearers vulnerable to further problems in the future. That’s why custom 3D printed insoles have become so popular with so many people. There are now several companies that provide custom 3D printed insoles, and we’ve tested some out ourselves and been pleased with the results. It’s wonderful to be able to order a pair of insoles, receive them in the mail, and discover that they fit perfectly – but it’s something else to be able to see them 3D printed right in front of you.
That’s an option that people in China will soon have, courtesy of RESA Wearables. The Arizona-based company will be launching its 3D printed orthotics line in China for the first time with a series of kiosks that will be set up in major retail centers throughout the country. The patent-pending kiosks will offer 3D scanning and 3D printing services to customers, who can come in, have their feet scanned, and watch their custom insoles designed and 3D printed right in front of them within an hour.
The kiosks will feature high-accuracy 3D scanners with dynamic capture and digital image mapping, plus artificial intelligence CAD insole design software. The insoles will be 3D printed onsite with filament from Shenzhen eSUN Industrial Co., Ltd, with whom RESA Wearables has formed a partnership. The joint venture will be called Shenzhen Resun Healthcare Technology Co., Ltd, and will also result in the development of new proprietary materials and 3D printing techniques for new, more advanced insoles.
“The Chinese market has a rich history of being interested in body alignment and wearable technology products,” said RESA Wearables Founder and CEO Glen Hinshaw. “This joint venture will enable us to help advance the way that Chinese people understand and address their foot care needs and how they access the products they require for optimal foot health and physical comfort and performance.”
3D printed insoles can offer customers not only more comfortable shoes, but better overall foot health. It’s not only the shape of the insole that can be customized, but the contours and pressure points, which can adjust the hardness and stiffness of different parts of the feet, offering relief from foot pain.
RESA Wearables is a brand new company, launched just last year. Although its headquarters are in Arizona, it also has offices in New York, Singapore and now Shenzhen. The RESA team has several decades’ worth of collective experience in footwear, foot care and retail marketing across the world. The company offers 3D scanning and printing kiosks at multiple retail locations, and a pair of adult insoles costs $199 ($129 for kids). Through this partnership with eSUN, RESA Wearables will be able to reach many more people, as well as continue to develop new materials and technology to improve foot health for customers around the world. Discuss in the RESA Wearables forum at 3DPB.com.
