SOLS Software: Comfortable 3-D Soles Make Happy Souls

 Kegan Schouwenburg is the 29-year-old CEO and co-founder of SOLS who is transforming the footwear industry by resolving the eternal imbalance of design vs. comfort. This is done via an iPad and a 3-D printer, which together create dynamic foot beds, which are engineered to alter the walking patterns of all who possess feet and shoes.

Kegan Schouwenburg: Source: Linkedin.com

 The SOLS company and Kegan Schouwenburg

SOLS Logo: Source: 3-D Print.com

At the helm of the SOLS company is Kegan Schouwenburg, a young  and brilliant entrepreneur determined to adapt emerging technologies to the needs of the modern consumer. Beauty and simplicity are her paramount concerns when it comes to 3-D printing and mass manufacturing. Her unique perspective emanates from a  significant background in industrial design, gleaned from both a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design she earned from Pratt Institute and four years hands-on experience building and managing Shapeway's Factory of The Future, a consumer design and manufacturing firm.

Barely a year old, SOLS is an innovative, multi-faceted company that among other things, is one of the first manufacturers to utilize 3-D printing  on a mass scale. Their mission is both global and fundamental as they are basically a software company. It is the combination of various aspects that is at the heart of the company's  ability to both function and go beyond its expectations. The software makes SOLS possible; the printers make their orthotics real and the brand is an emblem of quality and consumer trust.

How do these orthotics work?

SOLS Orthotics: Source: 3-D Print.com

Using technology  to transport, as if on a magic carpet ride through time, an outdated process into a modern solution to a consumer need, SOLS software begins with an iPad. The digital process is quick, taking only about ten minutes. True customization to both body and to lifestyle are guaranteed by a seamless integration of next generation computer vision and 3-D printing technology.

The iPad captures six photos of an individual's foot, extrapolates a series of data points and measurements and the end result is a pair of SOLS. Perfection is guarnteed every time due to the digital casting and 3-D printing  manufacturing processes that are utilized.

The message behind SOLS

SOLS is a tool of empowerment; a triumph over foot pain as well as a motivation to walk, dance, jump and run faster and longer. It involves so much more than fashion, albeit that is at the heart of the brand. It is rather, all about consumer need and using technology to address that requirement. In addition, today's orthotics are quite costly and SOLS is dedicated to providing access to healthy lifestyle choices at a price everyone can afford.

The future of SOLS

Schouwenburg has already raised more than $8 million for her company, and SOL is currently only available through medical channels. That is about to change  however, and soon  the app will be available to  consumers via a mobile app that will be able to create a remote prescription at a reduced price. Digital on demand technologes such as 3-D printing minimize overhead and wasteful spending. The future looks bright for both SOLS and Kegan Schouwenburg.

 Closing thoughts on mass production:

The standardization of man is called equality. ~ Erich Fromm