HP eyes custom orthotics market to push 3D printing systems
HP has teamed up with Go 4-D, a player in the medical orthotics industry, to distribute its FitStation platform around North America.
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Released last September, FitStation is a dual hardware and software platform that captures 3D scans of the foot, foot pressure measurements, and gait analysis to build a user profile. In this partnership, the data is used to build manufacturing instructions for 3D printed custom foot orthotics, which will be printed by Go 4-D using HP Jet Fusion 3D printing systems.
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"Given their extensive experience and knowledge of the custom orthotic industry, Go 4-D and FitStation powered by HP are perfectly positioned to pioneer the digital transformation of custom 3D printed orthotics into the medical market," said Edward Ponomarev, GM of commercial business development and strategic partnerships for HP's FitStation. "FitStation is a truly transformative platform that supports HP's journey to reinvent how the world designs and manufactures with commercial 3D technologies."
The partnership underscores a push in the health-tech space to merge data with clothing, wearables, and increasingly, footwear. HP has maintained a bullish outlook on footwear as a way to push its 3D printers in more markets.
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Earlier this year, the company inked a deal with the NFL that saw all 32 teams using HP's 3D scanning technology to provide customized cleats to players. The billion dollar orthotics market is another logical target for the FitStation platform and HP's 3D printers.
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