3D-Printed Custom Insoles for Foot Pain Relief
MIE Assistant Professor Jeffrey Lipton is developing 3D-printed custom insoles, using Viscous Thread Printing (VTP), to provide faster, more affordable, and accessible relief from chronic foot pain sufferers.
For millions of people suffering from foot pain, custom orthotics can be life-changing. Conditions such as plantar fasciitis, flat feet, diabetes-related foot complications, and prolonged standing at work all contribute to chronic discomfort that affects mobility and quality of life. While custom insoles can offer relief, they remain expensive, time-consuming to produce, and inaccessible for many who need them most.
Traditional custom orthotics can cost anywhere from $300 to over $1,000 and often require weeks or even months to manufacture. Meanwhile, over-the-counter insoles—though widely available—fail to provide the personalized support many patients require. As a result, countless individuals are left without effective solutions for managing foot pain.
Jeffrey Lipton, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, and PhD students Brett Emery and Jacob Miske, are developing an alternative. They are working to transform the orthotics industry with 3D-printed custom insoles that can be produced in just 24 hours. The team recently received a Fall 2024 Spark Fund Award from Northeastern’s Center for Research Innovation (CRI), which will help enable them to test the durability of their technology and move closer to commercialization.
A new approach to custom orthotics
Using an innovative technique called Viscous Thread Printing (VTP), Lipton and team have developed a 3D printing process that produces highly customizable, variable-stiffness foams. Unlike traditional orthotic fabrication, which involves casting molds and manual labor, their approach eliminates unnecessary steps while ensuring a precise, patient-specific fit in a fraction of the time.
With this technology, users can scan the foot, 3D print the insole, and have the patient try out the insole within 24 hours.
Beyond speed, this innovative method also reduces the cost of custom insoles by removing the need for manual shaping and post-processing. The technology is compatible with standard 3D printers, making it scalable for podiatry offices and healthcare providers.
Testing and scaling with help from the Spark Fund
One of the primary challenges in bringing 3D-printed insoles to market is ensuring durability. The insole materials must withstand the significant wear and tear of daily use, lasting for hundreds of thousands or even millions of steps.
With support from the CRI and the Fall 2024 Spark Fund Award, Lipton and team will conduct critical durability testing. The team will build a wear-testing system to simulate real-world conditions that insoles must endure. By analyzing material performance under long-term stress, they can refine designs and select the most effective materials for long-term use.
Emphasizing the importance of this testing phase, Lipton says “We believe our prototype is sufficiently durable, but this needs to be tested to build confidence in the product. The Spark Fund is enabling us to take that next step.”
Beyond testing, the CRI is also able to facilitate connections with industry experts, podiatrists, and potential partners. The team is exploring collaborations with medical professionals, shoe manufacturers, and sportswear companies to broaden the applications of their technology.
In the coming years, the team envisions a world where custom insoles can be produced quickly and affordably at the point of care. Instead of waiting weeks for orthotics or paying high costs for customization, patients could receive personalized support in a single visit to their podiatrist’s office.
“With this technology, we’re bringing the future of foot care closer to reality,” says Lipton. “We want to make custom insoles accessible to everyone who needs them.”
Key takeaways: Transforming foot health care with custom orthotics
With the support of the Spark Fund, Lipton and his team are advancing the development of 3D-printed custom insoles that are faster, more affordable, and more accessible than traditional options. By combining digital manufacturing with cutting-edge materials science, Lipton and his team are working toward a future where chronic foot pain can be addressed quickly and effectively.
Source: Center for Research Innovation