The smartphone-scanned orthotics service from Stride Soles introduces a more accessible approach to custom foot support by replacing traditional in-clinic appointments with a digital process. Customers scan their feet using the Stride app’s 3D scanning technology, complete a podiatrist-designed questionnaire and upload a walking video so clinicians can analyze gait and alignment remotely.
Using this data, Stride’s podiatry team in Germany designs each orthotic with CAD software, adjusting cushioning, structure and density for personalized biomechanical support. The orthotics are produced using a durable TPU lattice and finished with a foam mid-layer and vegan leather lining designed to last three to four years.
The platform delivers clinician-reviewed orthotics within 10 to 15 days for $249, significantly lower than traditional in-clinic options. This model highlights a broader shift toward direct-to-consumer healthcare, where mobile technology and remote diagnostics allow brands to deliver medical-grade customization more efficiently while reducing cost and improving accessibility for consumers.
Image Credit: Stride
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- App-based 3D Scanning
- Smartphone 3D foot scans enable high-fidelity anatomical capture outside clinical settings, opening possibilities for scalable personalized products built from consumer-captured data.
- Remote Podiatry Platforms
- Virtual gait analysis and clinician review decouple expert assessment from physical clinics, creating room for distributed clinical workflows and subscription-based care models.
- Direct-to-consumer Medical Customization
- Affordable, clinician-reviewed custom orthotics delivered via digital platforms illustrate how medical-grade personalization can be brought directly to consumers at lower cost and faster turnaround.
Sectors Adopting This
- Footwear and Orthotics
- Integration of digital scanning and CAD-driven customization is primed to reshape product lines toward bespoke fit, performance tuning, and modular comfort systems.
- Telehealth and Remote Diagnostics
- The use of consumer devices for diagnostic imaging and remote specialist review signals expanded telehealth services that incorporate objective movement data into care pathways.
- Additive Manufacturing for Medical Devices
- TPU lattices and digitally fabricated components highlight opportunities for on-demand, geometry-optimized medical devices that balance durability with individualized biomechanics.
