The company Superfeet promises custom 3D insoles from home using just an iPhone. Without downloading apps, the scan measures arch and size, sending data to a factory for printing. But behind this supposed revolution in orthopedics, the real goal is to bypass the podiatrist and keep all the margin, selling home comfort at the expense of foot health.
Static scan that ignores real biomechanics 🦶
The iPhone does not measure the footstep in motion or pressure distribution, key data for a complete biomechanical study. Relying on a home algorithm can recommend inappropriate insoles, causing more injuries than it prevents. Additionally, foot data is stored on Superfeet servers without clarity on its future use. Will they sell it to shoe companies? The user pays for a product that, far from being unique, is a slightly adjusted standard, manufactured in a country with cheap labor, not locally.
The factory abroad prints your health from a distance 🏭
Having an iPhone scan your foot arch and a 3D printer in another country manufacture the insole sounds like cheap science fiction. What they don't tell you is that that algorithm might recommend a heel wedge when what you really need is an exorcist for your gait. And while you pay for false personalization, your foot data travels to servers that might sell your size to Nike tomorrow. All to avoid stepping into the podiatrist's office.