Machine makes custom insoles fast

Tag: sole machine

A team of five BYU undergraduate students has developed a product that soon may be used in podiatrists' offices and ski shops.
The invention, Sole Orthotic Solutions, is a machine that creates a custom shoe insole in 30 minutes. It was a part of the students' final presentation in the Capstone program at BYU, a two-semester program that places sponsors with engineering students to develop new technologies.
"It closes the gap between the doctor and the Dr. Scholls. The over-the-counter orthotics, like Dr. Scholls, aren't good enough, and the prescription orthotics from the doctor's office take too long," said Tyson Triplett, the industrial design major on the team.
But for Brent Johnson, the sponsor of the Sole Orthotic Solutions group, the machine is more than a school project. Johnson set out to create a custom orthotics machine after he found it difficult to find proper footwear for his son with cerebral palsy.
So, Johnson attended classes to become a licensed pedorthist, someone who uses mechanical and medical science to help people with physical problems. Then in 2006, he began working with the Capstone program to further develop his ideas.
The concept for the machine was made by a group of students in the program in the 2006-2007 school year, but after they graduated, a new group took on the project. The new group - Eric Radford, Keith Stolworthy, Tyson
Triplett, Caleb Waugh and Jonathan Woahn - not only changed some of the original plans, but also created a working machine that manufactures the insoles.
"They are very comparable to other [orthotics] I've tried, but I like them because, if there's a problem or they are uncomfortable, you can reheat them and tweak them to your liking," said Leslie Johnson, the wife of Brent Johnson. Leslie Johnson has been testing the shoe insoles for a few months, and said she's worn orthotics for about three years.
Triplett said that he hopes to see the product in athletic shoes and ski boots.
That may soon be a possibility, because Johnson recently left his engineering job to further develop the technology. He has a patent pending on it, and said he plans to market it soon.
To be a part of the Capstone program, sponsors, like Johnson, are required to give a $20,000 educational grant to BYU. Some of that money will go toward the cost of developing the projects.