The Dutch may be famous for their wooden shoes, but with an estimated four million people in the Netherlands suffering from foot problems, there is a growing need for therapeutic insoles.

Caroline van Heijkamp, the CEO of T-Soles Insole Systems, created a solution for this problem. The T-Soles system is a personalized corrective insole designed through a 3D scan-and-print process.

Heijkamp’s goal is to provide a better insole product that is also less expensive, so the adoption and use rate will be higher.

“You can compare it to the number of people who wear glasses or contact lenses,” Heijkamp said. “Years ago, when glasses were costly, only the people who really needed them were willing to spend the money on glasses, but nowadays you can find glasses for a few Euros, and you see many more people wearing them. And you will see the same thing happen with insoles.”

The 3D CT scan process of the T-Soles system allows for an accurate picture of the foot for precise calculations to ensure the resulting insole will do its job correctly. And, with current systems, Heijkamp pointed out they don’t fully take into account the shoe worn with the insoles. With the T-Soles system, the foot scan takes place with the client wearing the shoe.

The T-Soles system is currently available in several regions, including Europe, the U.S., Canada, the Middle East and Asia. The software allowing the creation of therapeutic insoles for podiatrists should be available later this year.