This article was taken from the April 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Caroline Walerud, cofounder and CEO of Stockholm-based Volumental, wants to take 3D body-scans from the lab to the high street. Its software lets customers create models so precise they can be used to order fitted shoes and clothing. "We want to make custom products the norm, not a luxury," says the 25-year-old.
Walerud and her cofounders Alper Aydemir, Miroslav Kobetski and Rasmus Göransson spun out from the Kinect@Home project, which used Microsoft's depth-sensing camera to 3D-scan a room. The goal was to enable a robot to navigate the space using these scans. "It takes so long to get enough data to train robots," says Walerud. "Kinect@Home made it easy for people to provide data, and in return we gave them a 3D model of their room. We had this cool technology, and we needed a problem to solve."
So Volumental pivoted from robots to retail. Last September it worked with children's shoe company PLAE and used an Intel depth-sensing camera to scan customers' feet. Volumental's software turned that data into a 3D template for custom-fit shoes. Eventually, customers will 3D-scan with their phones -- Google's Project Tango and Israel-based Mantis Vision aim to integrate depth sensors into future handsets.
Volumental gained £2 million in funding in 2014, led by Rovio's investment firm MOOR and FOUNDER.org. Using this, Walerud is expanding to new customisation technologies. "People will expect size 'me' -- not size medium," she says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
