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Footwear design, manufacturing, and production is entering a new phase of revolution with shorter design and manufacturing cycles. Although consumers expect shorter lead time, they are also becoming more and more demanding in terms of style, comfort, and fit. Consumers are very aware of 3D technologies and hence they expect the use of 3D technologies. Therefore, companies are starting to adopt 3D technologies in the design and development of footwear throughout the product life cycle. Nowadays, capturing the 3D shape is cheap and easy, and any products can be converted into 3D using low-cost and widely available 3D scanners. The scanned data, if required, can be modified using 3D design software. 3D design software is popular because of their ease of design, design modification, visualization, and rendering. Furthermore, footwear design developed based on 3D shoe last, enables changes of the 3D shoe last to automatically update the 3D upper design, outsole, and insole design. Functional properties of footwear such as thermal comfort, moisture management, and fit are also being considered during the design phase. In addition to footwear functional properties, creative design based on 3D enables quick design modification and visualization. The final design can then be manufactured using traditional manufacturing techniques or using a 3D printing technique. Currently, 3D printing is still evolving, and it is not the main footwear manufacturing method. 3D printing technologies have huge potential, hence more development in this area will make traditional manufacturing probably less important and, in some cases, obsolete.

The shoe last, a 3D mould for making a shoe, is, generally speaking, not well understood by shoe designers. A shoe last not only influences style and fashion, but also comfort and fit. This chapter discusses the design of shoe lasts, including definitions and shoe last main design curves. Additionally, shoe lasts of different heel height and orientations are provided, to enable designers to create new shoe lasts and eventually design shoes.

Background: Conservative treatment, Ponseti method, has been considered as a standard method to correct the clubfoot deformity among Orthopedic society. Although the result of conservative methods have been reported with higher success rates than surgical methods, many more problems have been reported due to improper casting, casting pressure or bracing discomfort. Nowadays, infrared thermography (IRT) is widely used as a diagnostic tool to assess musculoskeletal disorders or injuries by detecting temperature abnormalities. Similarly, the foot skin temperature evaluation can be added along with the current subjective evaluation to predict if there is any casting pressure, excessive manipulation, or overcorrections of the foot, and other bracing pressure-related complications.Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore the foot skin temperature changes before and after using of manipulation and weekly castings.Methods: This is an explorative study design. Infrared Thermography (IRT), E33 FLIR thermal imaging camera model, was used to collect the thermal images of the clubfoot before and after casting intervention. A total of 120 thermal images (Medial region of the foot–24, Lateral side of the foot–24, Dorsal side of the foot−24, Plantar side of the foot−24, and Heel area of the foot–24) were collected from the selected regions of the clubfoot.Results: The results of univariate statistical analysis showed that significant temperature changes in some regions of the foot after casting, especially, at the 2nd (M = 32.05°C, SD = 0.77, p = 0.05), 3rd (M = 31.61, SD = 1.11; 95% CI: 31.27–31.96; p = 0.00), and 6th week of evaluation on the lateral side of the foot (M = 31.15°C, SD = 1.59; 95% CI: 30.75–31.54, p = 0.000). There was no significant temperature changes throughout the weekly casting in the medial side of the foot. In the heel side of the foot, significant temperature changes were noticed after the third and fourth weeks of casting.Conclusion: This study found that a decreased foot skin temperature on the dorsal and lateral side of the foot at the 6th week of thermography evaluation. The finding of this study suggest that the infrared thermography (IRT) might be useful as an adjunct assessment tool to evaluate the thermophysiological changes, which can be used to predict the complications caused by improper casting, over manipulative or stretching and casting-pressure related complications.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a multifactorial, three-dimensional deformity of the spine and trunk. School scoliosis screening (SSS) is recommended by researchers as a means of early detection of AIS to prevent its progression in school-aged children. The traditional screening technique for AIS is the forward bending test because it is simple, non-invasive and inexpensive. Other tests, such as the use of Moiré topography, have reduced the high false referral rates. The use of infrared (IR) thermography for screening purposes based on the findings of previous studies on the asymmetrical paraspinal muscle activity of scoliotic patients compared with non-scoliotic subjects was explored in this study. IR thermography is performed with an IR camera to determine the temperature differences in paraspinal muscle activity. A statistical analysis showed that scoliotic subjects demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the left and right sides of the regions of interest. This difference could be due to the higher IR emission of the convex side of the observed area, thereby creating a higher temperature distribution. The findings of this study suggest the feasibility of incorporating IR thermography as part of SSS. However, future studies could also consider a larger sample of both non-scoliotic and scoliotic subjects to further validate the findings.

Ear anthropometry is important in physical ergonomics for ear-related products. With various anthropometric methods, comparisons between different measuring techniques have not been sufficiently studied especially for ear dimensions. This study aimed at comparing traditional measurement and 3D scanning method for ear anthropometry, with addressing their usages in practice. For thirty participants, ear length and ear width were measured by the same investigator with two measuring methods. Traditional measurement was directly conducted with a caliper, whereas dimensions using 3D scanning technique were extracted from the point cloud acquired from a structured light scanner. Statistical results showed the differences between traditional and 3D scanning measurement, which can provide empirical evidences of differences between different measuring techniques for ear anthropometry. Additionally, the usages of different methods were discussed so that the proper method can be selected to match specific goals for future research.

The synthesis and application of layered double hydroxide (LDH) is gaining impetus for developing nano-hybrids with desired functionality. They are environmentally benign and of potential use in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, drug design, flame retardancy, separation and membrane technology, filtration, scavenging and controlled release of anions, electro-active and photoactive materials. However, there has been a limited research in wearable textile applications. In this study, magnesium–aluminium LDH nano-particles were synthesized and applied to cotton fabric to enhance mechanical, ultraviolet protection and flame retardancy properties. In addition, their cytotoxicity tests were investigated to ensure safe wearable applications. It was found that the application of this Mg–Al nano-LDH (1.5%) with reactive remazol dye (98.5%) at 2% shade improved the UV protection (UV protection factor: 20.184), enhanced flame-suppressing capacity (limiting oxygen index from 16.5 to 20.8) with significantly increased tensile strength (76.85%) of cotton.

© 2016 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. Clubfoot, known as congenital talipes equinovarus, is one of the complex paediatric foot deformity with the incidence of 1 in every 1000 live births. It consists of four complex foot abnormalities such as forefoot adductus, midfoot cavus, and hindfoot varus and ankle equinus. There are a number of surgical techniques (soft tissue releases, arthrodesis) used to correct clubfoot. However currently the conservative management (manipulation, serial casting, and braces) of clubfoot is considered as the best choice and it is widely accepted among orthopaedists. Clubfoot treated with surgical techniques might suffer various complications such as soft tissues contractures, neurovascular complications, infections, and shortening of the limbs. Although conservative method is generally considered as an effective method, it is still challenging to cure clubfoot in advance stages. Also, the classification of the initial severity of clubfoot is essential to evaluate the outcome of the treatment. In this review, the aim is to review the different types of conservative method and the assessment of clubfoot severity.

Most anthropometric studies generally relate to one chosen population. We wanted to assess the variations among different age groups to get a better understanding of the changes to foot shape so that footwear can accommodate these changes satisfactorily. Footwear are not differentiated between adults and elderly, even though there are footwear for children primarily because of smaller feet. Three “age groups” of males and females were scanned at different times. The heel centerline was used to register each scan. Using predetermined algorithms, the digital data were processed to obtain 49 anthropometric variables that included various length, width, girth, and flare measures. The youngest group comprised 40 female children of mean age 8.1 yrs (standard deviation [SD] = 1.48 yrs), 40 males of mean age 8.4 yrs (SD = 1.8 yrs), 40 adult females of mean age 24 yrs (SD = 3.97 yrs), 40 adult males of mean age 21.7 yrs (SD = 2.90 yrs), 40 elderly females of mean 73.3 yrs (SD = 6.8 yrs), and 40 elderly males of mean age 75 yrs (SD = 7.58 yrs). No significant differences were found between left and right foot lengths, but there were significant differences in widths, girths, and heights. Allometric equations were developed to explain the variations over the various age ranges. The findings can help understand the growth of feet and the proper fitting, especially for the elderly.

Considering the complexity of product design, designers normally use a holistic approach to create a product based on target customers and market needs. To create products, many design tools and techniques used in most cases are qualitative. Although ergonomics design principals are widely taught in many design and engineering schools, it might be limited to anthropometry, usability testing, principals and check lists. Ergonomics research data and knowledge are not presented for easy use to designers, hence ergonomics aspects are often overlooked by designers during the ideation stage. Creative design, even though commercially successful, sometimes are looked down as it may not ‘pass’ the traditional ergonomics check list. Ergonomics tools need to be developed to consider the different stages in design. Ergonomics should consider developing tools and methods with designers in mind, so that ergonomics tools can be easily adapted by them. With a clear collaboration between designers and ergonomist better creative design with imbedded ergonomics can be created.

Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) or clubfoot is a common pediatric congenital foot deformity that occurs 1 in 1,000 live births. Clubfoot is characterized by four types of foot deformities: hindfoot equinus; midfoot cavus; forefoot adductus; and hindfoot varus. A structured assessment method for clubfoot is essential for quantifying the initial severity of clubfoot deformity and recording the progress of clubfoot intervention. Aim: This study aims to develop a three-dimensional (3D) assessment method to evaluate the initial severity of the clubfoot and monitor the structural changes of the clubfoot after each casting intervention. In addition, this study explores the relationship between the thermophysiological changes in the clubfoot at each stage of the casting intervention and in the normal foot. Methods: In this study, a total of 10 clubfoot children who are

Flip-flops may change walking gait pattern, increase muscle activity and joint loading, and predispose wearers to foot problems, despite that quantitative evidence is scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the lower limb muscle co-contraction and joint contact force in flip-flops gait, and compare with those of barefoot and sports shoes walking. Ten healthy males were instructed to perform over-ground walking at self-selected speed under three footwear conditions: 1) barefoot, 2) sports shoes, and 3) thong-type flip-flops. Kinematic, kinetic and EMG data were collected and input to a musculoskeletal model to estimate muscle force and joint force. One-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare footwear conditions. It was hypothesized that flip-flops would induce muscle co-contraction and produce different gait kinematics and kinetics. Our results demonstrated that the musculoskeletal model estimation had a good temporal consistency with the measured EMG. Flip-flops produced significantly lower walking speed, higher ankle and subtalar joint range of motion, and higher shear ankle joint contact force than sports shoes (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between flip-flops and barefoot conditions in terms of muscle co-contraction index, joint kinematics, and joint loading of the knee and ankle complex (p > 0.05). The variance in walking speed and footwear design may be the two major factors that resulted in the comparable joint biomechanics in flip-flops and barefoot walking. From this point of view, whether flip-flops gait is potentially harmful to foot health remains unclear. Given that shod walking is more common than barefoot walking on a daily basis, sports shoes with close-toe design may be a better footwear option than flip-flops for injury prevention due to its constraint on joint motion and loading.

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018. The skin is the major organ of integumentary system of human body and helps to maintain the body temperature, excretes the waste through sweating, protects deepest structures of the human body, and prevent from various problems such as water loss, infection. However, excessive sweating leads to infection in human body especially in the foot such as dermatophyte infection. This study aimed to investigate the foot skin temperature and humidity after wearing socks with shoes. It is a pre-post experimental design study. Ten subjects were selected for this study by convenience sampling methods. In this experiments, humidity and temperature, infrared images were recorded at baseline and post experiment. For this experiment, Infrared camera, HC 520 IN/OUT Temperature/ humidity, and the thermometer were used as outcome measurement and the total duration of pre and post-session consists of 3 h. The results revealed that the foot skin temperature was slightly increased in the left foot: 97.02 (mn), 2.51 (SD). Thus, there was no difference observed in temperature changes. However, humidity level increased in socks with shoes experiment in the post-experiment results. At the same time, we observed in the infrared thermal image analysis that there were physiological changes and post-test temperature changes on the skin of foot. In conclusion, this study revealed that socks with shoes are altered the humidity and foot skin temperature.

With the rapid development of functional product design, the digital human body applied to design and manufacturing need be improved with more information of the human body. Functional and smart clothing has been a popular trend among consumers. The human model or mannequin may not fully satisfied the increasing demands of anatomical and physiologic messages from the human body in a visual and accurate way. As one of the most important functions of clothing, thermal comfort plays a vital role in many functional clothing design. In this pilot study, a thermal model was introduced to lay a foundation for functional thermal clothing development. A step by step method was commentated to draw a map for functional model development. This model was constructed by geometric human model from 3D scanning data and 2D thermograms from IR camera. The skin temperature data of subject was transferred to exact 3D human body, the temperature distribution and features can be clarified easily for design and manufact...

© 2015 The Authors A novel method including range-sensing scanning with texture and foot anatomical structure morphing basing on OpenSim is proposed. Palpation of important anatomical landmarks on foot surface was conducted by a physical therapist, and a range-sensing device, Microsoft Kinect sensor, was adopted for the 3D textured model acquisition. 3D coordinate data of the landmarks were measured and harnessed in OpenSim for subject-specific skeletal scaling based on a generic foot musculoskeletal model. The muscle attachment point coordinates derived from an anatomy database basing on sampling from East Asia people were used for muscle modelling. Then the 3D textured foot surface was registered with the morphed anatomical structures so that an integrated foot model was generated. The surface landmark locations were then compared with the corresponding internal bony sites and the errors were calculated to evaluate the accuracy and validity of this method. The potential error sources such as soft tissue thickness and scaling error were also mentioned and discussed. This technique is useful to create individual anatomically accurate human digital models for product design and development.

Improper footwear design causes injuries and illnesses, and hence it is important to understand not only the foot but also the footwear. In order to reduce injuries and illnesses, the foot and footwear have to match in such a way to avoid high pressure points and friction due to movements. As far as footwear fit is concerned, literature review has indicated that static footwear fit has mostly been studied, even though dynamic pressure, friction, and foot movement beyond the normal range of motion will cause different type of injuries and illnesses when compared to static fit. Therefore, this paper proposes a theoretical model for dynamic fit. The dynamic footwear fit model is developed similar to the NIOSH lifting equation. The dynamic fit is related to static fit and several multipliers related to footwear design, material properties, and time factor. More research is being carried out to set the parameter values of the theoretical model. The importance of this model is useful for quantification of dynamic footwear fit as it is more related to the actual situation. Better footwear fit, both static and dynamic, will generally improve foot health.

An internal arrangement of fibres in the yarn plays a key role in determining the physical properties and the performance characteristics of yarns and fabrics. Crosswise and lengthwise fiber migration and twist are important components to generate strength and cohesion in yarns. Their objective study is becoming essential as various new yarns has been developed with dissimilar properties and they are blended frequently. In addition, many modern techniques of spinning coming up since last few decades. Though new equipment and image processing techniques has been reported by few scientists, it is still jargon for new researchers to apply it for their own investigation. We demonstrated here how image processing technique in MATLAB could be employed by taking tracing fibre images from economic USB camera to evaluate tracing fibre angle accurately. This non-destructive evaluation method could potentially be applied in various fields of biomedical imaging, material engineering and other photogrammetric applications.

Technologies are changing the life of the human being. Fashion technology brings forward more and more convenience and comfort to people’s life. As the second skin, clothing plays a vital role on daily life. In aspects of art design, fashionable and colorful clothes make people obtain psychological satisfaction. From the ergonomic design, more attention was paid both on the physiological and psychological needs of the human being. For examples, the thermal physiology and compression comfort will directly have impact overall status of the health status of the human being. Especially, with development of functional fabrics and smart bio-medical sensors, functional and smart clothing has been an up-and-coming product for fashion industry and have been gradually accepted by the market. In the near future, with the changing of consumers’ consumption psychology, functional and smart clothing with fashionable design will be the mainstream of the market. Considering the fashion education system at present, fashion designers and fashion education will meet new challenges in the near future. Based on ergonomic design, innovative educations should be made accordingly. The research focused on the aspects of fashion education innovations, such as materials, clothing and accessories based on ergonomic design, which laid comprehensive foundations for functional fashion design.

Fashion for elderly is not a new concept in the fashion industry, but for Hong Kong market, it seemed much backward when compared to foreign countries. Modification on the new style silhouettes is a critical factor to increase the acceptance in Hong Kong market. This research hoped to demonstrate the new ideas of senior fashion and the new possible style were able to inspired fashion design students or designers to create their own collection with innovation and meaningful collections. Through understanding the senior fashion market, it was anticipated to benefit for the fashion lovers who are getting retired in the next 5 to 10 years. This study developed fashion elements of materials, graphic, embellishment, style and garments design with illustrations and adopted them to questionnaire survey to the elderly fashion in Hong Kong.

© 2017 Ganesan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), also known as clubfoot, is common congenital orthopedic foot deformity in children characterized by four components of foot deformities: hindfoot equinus, hindfoot varus, midfoot cavus, and forefoot adduction. Although a number of conservative and surgical methods have been proposed to correct the clubfoot deformity, the relapses of the clubfoot are not uncommon. Several previous literatures discussed about the technical details of Ponseti method, adherence of Ponseti protocol among walking age or older children. However there is a necessity to investigate the relapse pattern, compliance of bracing, number of casts used in treatment and the percentages of surgical referral under two years of age for clear understanding and better practice to achieve successful outcome without or reduce relapse. Therefore this study aims to review the current evidence of Ponseti method (manipulation, casting, percutaneous Achilles tenotomy, and bracing) in the management of clubfoot under two years of age. Materials and methods: Articles were searched from 2000 to 2015, in the following databases to identify the effectiveness of Ponseti method treatment for clubfoot: Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL), PubMed, and Scopus. The database searches were limited to articles published in English, and articles were focused on the effectiveness of Ponseti method on children with less than 2 years of age. Results: Of the outcome of 1095 articles from four electronic databases, twelve articles were included in the review. Pirani scoring system, Dimeglio scoring system, measuring the range of motion and rate of relapses were used as outcome measures. Conclusions: In conclusion, all reviewed, 12 articles reported that Ponseti method is a very effective method to correct the clubfoot deformities. However, we noticed that relapses occur in nine studies, which is due to the non-adherence of bracing regime and other factors such as low income and social economic status.

With the rapid development of CAD/CAM technology and information technology, it is becoming possible to satisfy the quality, fit and comfort requirements of footwear design and manufacturing. In the footwear industry, although there are availability of design and manufacture technologies to fulfill the desired requirements, the current methods are very expensive. Cheap and accurate scanners are needed at the retail shop to acquire 3D foot shape information. This paper proposes a prediction method to model foot shapes through scaling a standard foot by using limited parameters. The accuracy of different number of parameters have been evaluated. Given that commercial expensive scanner accuracy range from 0.5 to 1 mm, in order to predict 3D foot shape to an accuracy of around 0.75 mm, foot outline, foot profile, two foot sections and standard foot model were required. The mean modeling errors were 0.76 mm and 0.75 mm of the right foot and left foot respectively. Results indicate that if more sections are used the modeling error decreases but this will increase the cost of the scanner and the computational complexity. This method provides a cost effective method to substitute expensive 3D foot scanners that usually use laser-based technology. Relevance to industry : This method provides the core algorithm for the development of low cost 3D foot scanners for footwear mass-customization. CCD cameras can be used to capture foot profile and outline, while fixed line laser can be used to obtain two key sections. This method reduces the need for expensive linear gears and optical systems.

With the rapid development of 3D scanners, graphic accelerated hardware and 3D modeling tools, the application of 3D model databases is growing in both numbers and sizes, e.g. 3D body scans, head model and virtual mannequins. There is a pressing need for effective content-based 3D model retrieval methods. In this paper, a novel 3D model retrieval approach is proposed by using the Fuzzy Weighted Symmetrical Depth Images (FW-SDI). Firstly, three symmetrical planes of the 3D model are obtained based upon principal plane analysis and sequential quadratic programming, which are the distinctive characteristics of 3D model and perpendicular to each other. Secondly, three novel depth Images (NDI) and three depth differential images (DDI) are extracted by projecting the 3D surface to the proposed symmetrical planes. The Fourier descriptors of the novel depth Images and depth differential images are calculated. Finally, a fuzzy weighted procedure is conducted for combining the Fourier descriptors of NDI and DDI. Experiment results show that the proposed method can achieve better retrieval performance than others.

The shoe industry is a very competitive industry and in order to capture the market, customized shoes are desired nowadays to satisfy consumers’ needs on style, fit and comfort. Companies need to e...

In spite of ill-effects of high heel shoes, they are widely used for women. Hence, it is essential to understand the load transfer biomechanics in order to design better fit and comfortable shoes. In this study, both experimental measurement and finite element analysis were used to evaluate the biomechanical effects of heel height on foot load transfer. A controlled experiment was conducted using custom-designed platforms. Under different weight-bearing conditions, peak plantar pressure, contact area and center of pressure were analyzed. A three-dimensional finite element foot model was used to simulate the high-heel support and to predict the internal stress distributions and deformations for different heel heights. Results from both experiment and model indicated that heel elevations had significant effects on all variables. When heel elevation increased, the center of pressure shifted from the midfoot region to the forefoot region, the contact area was reduced by 26% from 0 to 10.2 cm heel and the internal stress of foot bones increased. Prediction results also showed that the strain and total tension force of plantar fascia was minimum at 5.1 cm heel condition. This study helps to better understand the biomechanical behavior of foot, and to provide better suggestions for design parameters of high heeled shoes.

Sizing and grading are widely used to create products to fit selected populations. Currently, the sizing and grading rules are derived from anthropometric measures; however past researches have indicated that it is not very accurate. This study proposes a new technique to use principal component analysis (PCA) on 3D surface points for sizing and grading wearable products. The accuracy of the proposed method is illustrated by developing a sizing and grading rule for the feet. After developing a model using the feet data of 60 participants and validating using the feet data of 10 different participants, results showed that sizing and grading using PCA is more accurate than traditional techniques. Compared with traditional foot sizing, PCA based sizing and grading showed an improvement of about 25% in accuracy. In addition, results also indicated that the grading rule derived from PCA loading was better than the proportional grading. This research provides a new direction to consider when developing the sizing and grading rules. It can be extended to calculate the number of sizes and the size increment for various wearable products.

Well-designed compression sportswear can be used for the enhancement of athletic performance and reduction of injury. The material and geometric properties of fabric for compression sportswear are vital in achieving compression effects. This study evaluated and optimized the performance of fabric using the design of experiment (DOE) methods, the response surface method (RSM) and the finite element (FE) model. The evaluation and optimization procedure consisted of three phases. The first phase involved developing the FE model of a fabric tube and cylinder, and validated it by compression experiments involving different fabrics. The second phase evaluated the FE prediction using a five-factor experimental design, namely, hyperelastic properties, thickness, density, friction, and tensile strain. The third and final phase was an optimization process using RSM based on the evaluation results. Findings show that the FE predictions approach closely the results of validation experiments. The nonlinear elastic material properties (hyperelastic properties) and shape dimensions (thickness and tensile strain) of fabric tube were found to be important design factors in influencing contact pressure, while the density of fabric and interface friction coefficient played less important roles. The optimal FE model was determined using RSM analysis. The statistically based FE model was found to be an effective approach for evaluating and optimizing the design parameters of fabric for compression sportswear. The results can be applied to make sportswear that has different compression effects at selected anatomical locations to enhance performance and reduce injuries.

Enzymes are being extensively used in industry as they are environmentally friendly. They show a variety of advantages over chemicals, like their specificity, high efficiency and eco-friendliness. Nowadays different kinds of cellulase enzyme mixtures are commercially formulated for the finishing of cellulosic fabrics. This study investigated the effect of acid cellulase treatment on bamboo knitted-fabric to reduce pill. It has been observed that specific range of concentration only can effectively reduce pills with substantial weight loss. The common process and method followed by a textile chemist to optimize or standardize the concentration of enzyme treatment to reduce pill is still cumbersome and doubtful. A quicker and objective method is proposed to optimize the concentration of enzyme. The effectiveness is evaluated using standard Martindale tester and the weight loss of the fabric.

Customization and e-commerce are the new trends in footwear manufacturing and marketing. These methods of business have been promoting the increasing importance of footwear fit and comfort in addition to footwear fashion and style. Some methodologies have been established to quantify footwear fit, however much is needed to make the fit assessment usable. This paper presents a method for the error calculation between the foot and the shoe-last based on the modification of previous research. The proposed technique is very useful for the prediction of footwear fit related comfort. The first step in this method is the selection of a shoe-last based on the foot anthropometric data. The selected shoe-last was then converted to shoe shape by using algorithms proposed in this paper. For ease of interpretation, the errors between the foot and the deformed shoe-last were presented as mean, standard deviation and error mapping plots. The proposed method seems to be promising as it provides an improved an effective a...

In clinical practice, fast assessment of contact pressure is usually calculated by Laplace’s Law, which neither provides detailed surface geometry for soft materials of the leg, nor offers sufficient predictive power for designing high-performance sportswear. To bridge this gap, this paper describes a finite element (FE) model of sports tights that was developed with a detailed anatomic male leg model to predict the compression effects of high-performance sportswear. Non-linear elastic material was applied on the sportswear material to model the large deformation behavior. Experimental validation on athletes was performed. A reasonable agreement was found in the experimental validation. Suitable profiles were achieved along the height of the leg, in terms of both contact pressure and clothing deformation (true strain or logarithmic strain). The maximum contact pressure (2222 Pa) occurred on the posterior of the ankle, while the maximum principal true strain of the sports tights occurred on the edge of the upper thigh. This study indicates that the proposed FE model is useful for the assessment of contact pressure distribution in sportswear.

Fabric drape is one of the most important factors which affect the graceful appearance of the garment. The drape coefficient is the widely used parameter to describe fabric drape but it needs other parameters to explain the fabric behavior. In this study, we have investigated the relationship between the fabric drape parameters such as drape coefficient, drape distance ratio, fold depth index, amplitude and number of nodes and low stress mechanical properties. Drape parameters were tested on a specially developed instrument based on a digital image processing technique and the low stress mechanical properties were tested by the Kawabata evaluation system. Then the drape parameters were predicted by constructing models using multiple regressions method and feed-forward back-propagation neural network technique. Simple equations are derived using regressions method to predict the five shape parameters of drape profile from the low stress mechanical properties. It is observed that bending, shear and aerial density affect the drape parameters most whereas the tensile and compression have little effect on the drape parameters.

Shoe-last, a 3D mould used for making footwear, influence the shape, size and fitting of footwear. Current shoe-last design software has focused mainly on reverse engineering of existing shoe-last and modification. Shoe-last designers have generally preferred to design the shoe-last manually due to limitations of design software. In order to solve these problems, a new software based on CATIA platform was developed. The shoe-last model is based on foot shape measurement data and foot biomechanics. Using the existing shoe-last design standards and the sections from existing shoe-lasts, design tables and relationship equations enables the design of shoe-last with different toe type, heel height and custom shoe-last. The design includes comfort and fit aspects as well as design aspect, therefore enables design of aesthetical comfortable shoes. Since the design can be modified instantaneously, the designers could visualize design changes leading to a reduction in shoe-last design cycle.

Footwear fitting and comfort is an important customer need which involves multiple factors. It includes both objective measurements and subjective perceptions, and can be influenced by shoe materials, weight and styles, foot shape, inside shoe climate, even colour and fashion. However, the influences of other design factors are still not clear. This research investigated the relationship between footwear design factors and footwear fitting and comfort. Two-level fractional factorial design analysis was used to evaluate the effects and find the vital factors. The results indicated that heel height has relatively significant influences on footwear comfort. High topline, low heel height, soft material, round toe, open toe, open heel and thin platform can provide better fitting and comfort.

Sustainability has become a global concern in recent years. The traditional production and consumption patterns bring heavy environmental burdens. As the increasing of sustainability and environmental awareness, not only the governments launched regulations and policies to reduce the environmental impacts, consumers also have begun to show interests in eco-friendly products. The footwear industry plays a significant role in the impact of the contribution of apparel section. Various analyses have been conducted on this field aiming at optimizing the footwear life cycle management and design strategy to reduce the impact. As one of the most important properties of wearing products, fitting and comfort can influence consumers purchasing and usage, thus indirectly affects the environmental impact of footwear considering the whole product lifetime. This study focuses on the role of footwear fitting and comfort in the environmental impact of footwear, analysing the influence of fitting in different product life cycle stages.

This study is an attempt to show how a “standard” foot can be parameterized using foot length, foot width, foot height, and a measure of foot curvature so that foot shape can be predicted using these simple anthropometric measures. The prediction model was generated using 40 Hong Kong Chinese men, and the model was validated using a different group of 25 Hong Kong Chinese men. The results show that each individual foot shape may be predicted to a mean accuracy of 2.1 mm for the left foot and 2.4 mm for the right foot. Application of this research includes the potential design and development of custom footwear without the necessity of expensive 3-D scanning of feet.

Accurate 3D digital foot model is extremely useful in shoe or orthotics design and other medical situations such as podiatric therapy. In view of the fact that most of the 3D data-acquisition devices on the market are either expensive though high accuracy (e.g., high-end laser scanner), or with poor maneuverability and efficiency (e.g., image-based stereography), or deficient portability (e.g., large-size scanning machine or types requiring support frame), we propose a new method for human foot scanning in this paper. Microsoft Kinect sensor was adopted as the key device in this approach and proved a smart and efficient scanner in 3D foot data acquisition according to a detailed comparison with other scanners in terms of scan time, cost, operability and portability. Accuracy check of the sphere and foot scanning results also demonstrates decent precision of the proposed scanning system.

The increasing power of computer hardware is enabling the user interface to enter a new dimension, where voice enhanced interfaces can remove the barrier between people and the machine for some users. In this study the traditional keyboard and mouse interface (TI) was compared with voice enhanced interface (VEI). An automatic semester grade calculation software was developed in visual basic and enhanced with a “trainable” voice recognition software for Cantonese and English. Results show that there are significant differences in task completion time, number of errors and satisfaction for the traditional keyboard interface and the voice enhanced interface. In addition, contrary to our intuition, native Cantonese speakers had more voice input errors when speaking Cantonese than English. Though voice enhanced interfaces have many potential applications, consideration should be given to the differences between English and spoken languages that are based on tones such as Cantonese. It appears that further development in voice recognition technology is required in order to make voice input widely usable for the Chinese speaking computer users. Relevance to industry Voice input may seem the ultimate input method, since hands free data entry can allow tremendous flexibility. However, the results of this study indicate that, in industry, voice input should be used with caution, especially when tonal languages or safety are involved.

Even though fit ranks as one of the most important considerations in the purchase of a shoe, the quality of fit has no metric and is hence poorly assessed. Manufacturers, retailers, and customers tend to use trial and error techniques to improve footwear fit. This approach is rather cumbersome and very unscientific. In this paper, we present a methodology to assess and thereby quantify footwear fit so that comfort can be predicted and consequently improved lasts and shoes can be produced that match different shapes of feet.

Most commercial footwear is designed and manufactured on a curved last, although the amount of curvature of the last and the turning point of the last centerline have not been formally determined. In this study, we used principal component analysis to determine the foot axis so that lasts that match feet can be produced, resulting in a good fit. In evaluating 50 Hong Kong Chinese participants, we found that the center of the foot is located at approximately 52% of the foot length measuring from the back of the foot (SD = 0.65%) and that Hong Kong participants have a mean inflare (inward curvature) of 3.2°. The foot center and inflare measures will help determine the fit between footwear and feet. Applications of this research include the ability to incorporate foot flare into the design and manufacture of footwear.

The ideal means of achieving perfect fit is to produce individual, tailor-made shoes. However, this method is expensive and unaffordable for most people. At the opposite end of the scale, companies would prefer to be able to make shoes in only very few sizes, but this would lead to poor fit for the majority of customers. Many sizes of shoe are therefore required to meet consumer requirements while still ensuring that the business is profitable. The exact number of sizes is decided according to the costs of production and raw materials, as well as the fitting requirements, while the sizes themselves are determined principally on the basis of shoe-last sizes. This chapter introduces the sizing of shoe lasts, and consequently also footwear, as well as grading, a process used to modify the standard shoe last to create different sizes. A number of different standard systems for sizing and grading are used worldwide; this chapter compares the differences among the systems and discusses new research on sizing and grading.

Footwear drawing is not an easy task for the inexperienced designer. It is an essential part of fashion design and requires careful attention to sizes, dimensions and details. Poorly designed footwear will result in unnecessary pressure on the foot which may cause problems and injuries. There is a wide range of footwear which often incorporates minor design variations. In order to assist new footwear designers, this chapter provides design templates that facilitate the correct proportions to produce a professional footwear illustration. Once a designer has gained sufficient experience, they will be enabled to explore design ideas and concepts of their own.

The chapter begins by discussing customized footwear and mass-customized footwear design. it then reviews processes in shoe-last mass customization, including shoe-last design, shoe-last manufacture, shoe-last design framework, design of styling curves for shoe-lasts, and development and selection of shoe-last design. This chapter also introduces shoe-last selection based on fit rating.

The footwear industry began as a small business with a small manufacturing base and has developed into one of the most successful modern industries. Footwear itself has progressed from being a basic necessity into a luxury item, and several well-known brands have emerged in the last few decades. in this chapter the factors contributing towards the rise of the footwear industry, including global market shares, advertising budgets and global consumption, are explored. Consumers now spend more on footwear than ever before, as a result of rising economies and surplus buying power. advertising has played an important role in the footwear business, serving as a link between the consumer and the retailer. it is now an essential part of the footwear business, and companies set aside large budgets for advertising in order to promote themselves to consumers and stay ahead of the competition.

Shoe last is an aided model for shoemaking. In modern footwear industry, shoe technology consists of three parts: the design and manufacture of shoe last, the design and manufacture of upper pattern, and the design and manufacture of sole and other accessories. The design and manufacture of shoe last is the core of shoe technology. First, the design of a shoe last decides the styles of the upper and other accessories. For example, the shape of an outsole is determined by the shoe last bottom pattern, the pitch of a heel must match a shank curve of the last, the design of the toe shape of a last will influence the design of the upper, etc. In manufacturing process, shoe last is the mold and support for uniting the upper, soles, and other accessories. Therefore, the shoe last can influence not only the styles and aesthetics but also the fit and comfort of the shoes.

Part 1 Fundamentals of footwear anatomy: The anatomy of the human foot Foot biomechanics and gait Foot development in childhood and adolescence Foot models and measurements Foot problems and their implications for footwear design. Part 2 Footwear design: Shoe design development Foot sketch templates and footwear design Footwear drawing templates and shoe design. Part 3 Shoe lasts and other aspects of footwear manufacture: Design and manufacture of shoe lasts Sizing and grading of shoe lasts Shoe-last design templates Shoe-last design for mass customised footwear Footwear business and advertising The environmental impact of footwear manufacture. Part 4 Applications: Footwear for cold weather conditions Textiles for protective military footwear Textiles and other materials for orthopaedic footwear insoles Design issues in geriatric footwear.

It is generally accepted that improper footwear design causes injuries and illnesses. Existing literature indicated that mostly static footwear fit has been studied to some extent, even though we are well aware that dynamic footwear fit is different. In addition to static fit, illnesses and injuries will occur due to dynamic pressure, friction, and foot movement beyond the normal range of motion. This study proposes a method for dynamic foot shape computation. The dynamic foot is generated by using multi-dimensional transformation of the 3D static foot based on the angular values of the foot movement. This provides a simple algorithm to deform the foot to create dynamic 3D foot shape. Result of this study is essential to build a model for dynamic fit computation.