Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?

A variety of 3D volumetric scanners and smart-device applications are currently being used in podiatry for recording virtual foot data. The accuracy and reliability of these devices vary, resulting in a large variation in the quality of foot scans used for orthotic design. While it is widely believe...

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Main Authors: Komal Chhikara, Sinduja Suresh, Scott Morrison, Dean Hartley, Kerrie Evans, Marie-Luise Wille, Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira, Bridget Hughes, Natalie Haskell, Amanda Beatson, Marianella Chamorro-Koc, Judith Paige Little
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Sensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/3/869
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author Komal Chhikara
Sinduja Suresh
Scott Morrison
Dean Hartley
Kerrie Evans
Marie-Luise Wille
Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira
Bridget Hughes
Natalie Haskell
Amanda Beatson
Marianella Chamorro-Koc
Judith Paige Little
author_facet Komal Chhikara
Sinduja Suresh
Scott Morrison
Dean Hartley
Kerrie Evans
Marie-Luise Wille
Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira
Bridget Hughes
Natalie Haskell
Amanda Beatson
Marianella Chamorro-Koc
Judith Paige Little
author_sort Komal Chhikara
collection DOAJ
description A variety of 3D volumetric scanners and smart-device applications are currently being used in podiatry for recording virtual foot data. The accuracy and reliability of these devices vary, resulting in a large variation in the quality of foot scans used for orthotic design. While it is widely believed that a higher quality scanner yields a better scan and thus is expected to produce a more accurate orthotic design, the direct impact of scanning quality on orthotic design has not yet been tested. Therefore, in this study, three commonly used industrial 3D scanners with varying output qualities were used to obtain foot scans of three participants in two weight-bearing conditions. A total of 54 foot scans were obtained, out of which 18 were used to design orthotic insoles using commercial software (FitFoot360). We found variation in the quality of foot scans produced by the different scanners (61.75 ± 2.23% similarity of the foot scans showing a deviation of less than ±1 mm). However, there were no significant differences in the designed foot orthoses within the same weight-bearing condition (83.59 ± 1.97% similarity of the orthotic designs showing a deviation of less than ±1 mm). The medial arch height and heel width differed significantly only when the weight-bearing condition was changed. The findings from this study suggest that the industrial design and production of an orthotic insole using current methods does not depend on the scanning quality of the scanner used but is dependent on the extent of weight bearing.
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spelling doaj-art-1eb8939ad9ec4379b06e78ecd81b2ef42025-08-20T02:48:10ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-01-0125386910.3390/s25030869Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?Komal Chhikara0Sinduja Suresh1Scott Morrison2Dean Hartley3Kerrie Evans4Marie-Luise Wille5Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira6Bridget Hughes7Natalie Haskell8Amanda Beatson9Marianella Chamorro-Koc10Judith Paige Little11School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaiOrthotics, Brisbane, QLD 4030, AustraliaiOrthotics, Brisbane, QLD 4030, AustraliaHealthia Limited, Brisbane, QLD 4006, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Education, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education, and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Design, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaQUT Business School, Centre for Decent Work and Industry (CDWI), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Design, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, AustraliaA variety of 3D volumetric scanners and smart-device applications are currently being used in podiatry for recording virtual foot data. The accuracy and reliability of these devices vary, resulting in a large variation in the quality of foot scans used for orthotic design. While it is widely believed that a higher quality scanner yields a better scan and thus is expected to produce a more accurate orthotic design, the direct impact of scanning quality on orthotic design has not yet been tested. Therefore, in this study, three commonly used industrial 3D scanners with varying output qualities were used to obtain foot scans of three participants in two weight-bearing conditions. A total of 54 foot scans were obtained, out of which 18 were used to design orthotic insoles using commercial software (FitFoot360). We found variation in the quality of foot scans produced by the different scanners (61.75 ± 2.23% similarity of the foot scans showing a deviation of less than ±1 mm). However, there were no significant differences in the designed foot orthoses within the same weight-bearing condition (83.59 ± 1.97% similarity of the orthotic designs showing a deviation of less than ±1 mm). The medial arch height and heel width differed significantly only when the weight-bearing condition was changed. The findings from this study suggest that the industrial design and production of an orthotic insole using current methods does not depend on the scanning quality of the scanner used but is dependent on the extent of weight bearing.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/3/869footorthosesthree-dimensionalgeometryscanningorthotic design
spellingShingle Komal Chhikara
Sinduja Suresh
Scott Morrison
Dean Hartley
Kerrie Evans
Marie-Luise Wille
Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira
Bridget Hughes
Natalie Haskell
Amanda Beatson
Marianella Chamorro-Koc
Judith Paige Little
Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
Sensors
foot
orthoses
three-dimensional
geometry
scanning
orthotic design
title Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
title_full Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
title_fullStr Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
title_full_unstemmed Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
title_short Does Scanner Choice Matter for the Design of Foot Orthosis?
title_sort does scanner choice matter for the design of foot orthosis
topic foot
orthoses
three-dimensional
geometry
scanning
orthotic design
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/3/869
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