Abstract
BackgroundAdvancements in additive manufacturing, along with new 3D scanning tools, are increasingly fulfilling the technological need for custom devices in personalized medicine. In podiatry and in the footwear industry, custom orthotic and footwear solutions are often required to address foot pathologies or morphological alterations which cannot be managed with standard devices. While laser scanners are the current gold-standard for 3D digitization of the foot shape, their costs limit their applications and diffusion, therefore traditional operator-dependent casting methods are still in use. The aim of this study was to design and validate a novel 3D foot scanner based on the Microsoft Kinect sensor, allowing a 3D scan of the plantar shape of the foot to be acquired in weight-bearing.MethodsThe accuracy and repeatability of the prototypal foot scanner were investigated in a population of 14 asymptomatic healthy subjects, with no history of foot or lower limb injuries. The accuracy was estimated by comparing the Kinect foot scans with those obtained with a high-resolution laser scanner used as reference. The repeatability was assessed by comparing scans of the same foot acquired in different sessions.ResultsThe inter-subject average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the Kinect scans was lower than 3 mm for the whole plantar surface, and lower than 1.6 mm for the arch region alone, both in left and right feet. The repeatability, quantified as the average RMSE of pairwise comparisons between sessions, was 1.2 ± 0.4 mm.ConclusionsThe present Kinect-based 3D foot scanner showed optimal intra-operator repeatability and its accuracy appears adequate to obtain 3D scans of the foot plantar surface suitable for different clinical applications. This device could represent a valid low-cost alternative to expensive laser-based scanners and could be used for automatic foot measurements, supporting the design of custom insoles and footwear.
Highlights
Advancements in additive manufacturing, along with new 3D scanning tools, are increasingly fulfilling the technological need for custom devices in personalized medicine
In podiatry and in the footwear industry, an accurate geometrical characterization of the foot shape is critical to designing custom orthoses and footwear for different categories of people, from healthy workers [2, 3] and athletes [4], to patients with foot or lower
The comparison between 3D scans of the whole plantar surface obtained with the Kinect and with the high-resolution laser scanner (Fig. 4, top), resulted in an inter-subject average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 2.8 ± 0.6 mm and 2.9 ± 0.4 mm, respectively across left and right feet
Summary
Advancements in additive manufacturing, along with new 3D scanning tools, are increasingly fulfilling the technological need for custom devices in personalized medicine. Traditional foot casting methods can not always model the foot in weight-bearing, do not provide automatic foot measurements [14], and have been shown to be less reliable than digital scanning [15, 16] In this respect, structured-light and laser- based scanners are currently the gold-standard for acquiring 3D high spatial-resolution images of the foot shape. In the former, a pattern of light is projected onto the foot, and cameras located at different positions detect the distortion of the pattern [17]. Both scanners use the triangulation process to reconstruct the 3D shape of the foot
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
