NAMIC and Wiivv Sign MoU for Developing High Performance, 3D Printed Biometric Insoles

This week, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), which is on a mission to increase Singapore’s adoption of additive manufacturing technologies and is behind much of the country’s 3D printing activity, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Wiivv, one of the worldwide market leaders in 3D printed insoles.

“It’s a great honour to be in this partnership,” said Shamil Hargovan of Wiivv. “We are proud to have this opportunity to bring Wiivv’s groundbreaking technologies and products to the Singapore market. We look forward to a long and productive partnership.”

NAMIC is a pan-national initiative supported by Singapore’s National Research Foundation and led by NTUitive, which is the innovation and enterprise company of Nanyang Technological University. Wiivv, based in both Vancouver and San Diego, creates solutions that allow for the mass customization of high-performance lifestyle products, such as insoles and sandals.

Supported by the terms of the MoU, NAMIC and Wiiv will work together to develop high performance biometric insoles. Wiivv will work to develop its next generation of customized, 3D printed biometric insoles that enhance customers’ individual performance, and will be supported by NAMIC and its wide network of strategic partners and research performers.

The ceremony for signing the MoU was held at NAMIC’s ongoing Global Additive Manufacturing Summit, in conjunction with Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific (ITAP). The Wiivv brand was represented at the ceremony by the company’s co-founder and CEO Shamil Hargovan, and guest of honor Dr. Lam Pin Min, the Senior Minister of State in both the Transport and Health Ministries, and Ms. Choy Sauw Kook, the Assistant Chief Executive and Director-General of Quality and Excellence for Enterprise Singapore, both witnessed the signing.

This collaboration seems like an interesting pairing for NAMIC, especially considering that two of the more recent agreements it signed have to do with developing maritime applications related to digitalization and advanced manufacturing…not much in common with 3D printed footwear and orthotics.

But, NAMIC does want to increase Singapore’s competitiveness in the evolving landscape of digital industrialization, and works to nurture and help promising AM startups and technologies, such as Wiivv. The initiative acts as a connector between public agencies, researchers, and industry, and is moving beyond the industrial sectors, which have mainly embraced 3D printing, to hedge its bets on 3D printed footwear and wearables, because of the ever increasing desire and need for mass customization in our daily use products.

“Wiivv exemplifies how new businesses should aspire to be, riding on market trends like hypermobility, mass customization and wellness needs, building personalized and highly desirable solutions enables by technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence and 3D printing,” said Dr. Ho Chaw Sing, NAMIC’s Managing Director. “We are excited and honoured to be partnering with Wiivv to support their growth plans in Singapore.”

Discuss this news and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.