Comment by lupusreal
4 days ago
I wish we still had this. It could be done using far less power today, and besides, it's not like baby boomers are all getting foot cancer.
4 days ago
I wish we still had this. It could be done using far less power today, and besides, it's not like baby boomers are all getting foot cancer.
A possibly better solution would be to establish a standard for shoe measurements in 3D space, that could then be compared to a 3D image of the foot (taken with visible light). Cameras and computers are cheap these days.
Solves the fit problem quickly and avoids any X-Ray exposure.
Maybe.. but feet deform when standing in shoes and being able to see that effect seems very helpful.
I wonder if it’s more of an issue for the person giving the x-rays.
No doubt, but now with CCDs they don't need to be near the operating machine. The machine could be in a lead lined booth with a video display outside it for the shoe store employee to watch.
I think the x-ray machines can now be made much more sensitive so the dose could be vastly smaller. That said, it's a bit unnerving when someone tells you something is save and then goes and hides behind a lead lined booth - even for me as someone who understands the stats around it.
I do think it's in general a good idea to use such tools for better fits, shoes tend to focused more on narrow feet which is possibly a side effect of the shoes themselves. I have to stick to certain brands that cater towards wide feet. Perhaps in the future 3D printed shoes will be good enough that I can swap out my regular shoes for hyper-customized ones.