HP Arize 3D-Scanning Medical App
An iPad app built to transform how custom foot orthotics are measured
Categories
Healthcare & MedTech | IoT
Technologies used
3D Scanning | iPad App
About The Client
HP is a multinational technology company known for a broad range of computer products, from personal computers to 3D printers. Beyond its core business, HP regularly invests in new ventures and innovative projects, and Arize is one of them.
Through Arize, HP is building a network of American clinicians equipped to deploy 3D-printed foot orthotics, using its own hardware and manufacturing technologies.
Based in Palo Alto, California, the project needed a partner able to combine medical-grade rigor with native mobile expertise, in a field where every measurement directly affects patient comfort and health outcomes.
Project Overview
The Project
HP wanted to automate the production of custom foot orthotics, from measurement to 3D printing. The goal wasn’t just a measurement tool, it was an end-to-end mobile solution designed to replace manual methods with a reliable, repeatable digital process that clinicians could use directly in their practice.
The Context
Producing a 3D-printed foot orthosis requires gathering several types of data: precise foot measurements, along with the specific issues the orthosis needs to correct. Historically, this step relied on either manual, error-prone methods or high-end 3D scanners that were expensive and inaccessible to most clinicians. That bottleneck was directly slowing down the rollout of the Arize network.
Challenges And Technical Constraints For Medical 3D Scanning
The Challenge
The main challenge was making a scanning technology usually reserved for labs accessible to clinicians in everyday practice, without sacrificing the medical precision required. The app also had to support the entire workflow, from measurement to order tracking, inside a clinical setting where time is limited.
Constraints
Integration with Occipital’s 3D Structure Sensor scanner
Compatibility with Apple’s TrueDepth Sensor, native to iPad
Reliability and consistency of measurements across scans
A clinical environment that demanded simplicity and speed
Our Approach And Ios Solution For Connected Foot Scanning
Integrating The Occipital 3D Scanner
We built a native iOS application connected to Occipital’s 3D Structure Sensor scanner. This technical choice let clinicians capture foot scans with lab-level precision directly from an iPad, without additional complex equipment. This approach draws on our expertise in 3D scanning, a field where capture fidelity directly determines the quality of the final product.
Streamlining Clinician Workflows
Beyond scanning, the app gives clinicians full access to their order book. They can document each client, track the history of their orthotics, and manage entire patient files from a single interface. This centralization reduces reliance on paper-based tools and limits information loss between the clinic and production.
Native Ios Development For Medical Hardware
To meet the precision expected in a medical context, the app was built natively in iOS, with direct integration of Apple’s TrueDepth Sensor alongside the Occipital scanner. This native iOS development approach allowed the team to fully leverage the iPad’s hardware capabilities while keeping the experience simple for users who aren’t necessarily comfortable with digital tools. The UX/UI design work focused on making the scanning process feel effortless, so the technology stays invisible and only the patient’s measurement matters.
Results And Benefits For The Medical Scanning Experience
Results
Rolling out the app significantly cut down measurement time in clinics, with scan sessions taking just a few minutes compared to a much longer manual process. Measurement consistency also improved, reducing variation between practitioners and the need for post-printing adjustments. Arize’s partner clinicians were able to adopt the tool quickly, without extensive technical training, which helped accelerate the rollout across the U.S. network.
Why HP Chose Sidekick Interactive For Its Arize App
HP chose to work with Sidekick Interactive for our ability to interface advanced hardware, like the Occipital and Apple scanners, with a mobile experience built for non-technical users. Our team translated a complex medical constraint into a tool that’s simple to use, without ever compromising the precision a clinical setting demands.
“It’s amazing the results you get when you mix Occipital’s 3D scanner with an iPad mobile app. The two combined make cutting-edge technology simple and accessible.”
Sarah Troshian, Project Manager, Sidekick Interactive
Sidekick Interactive’s Expertise In Medtech Scanning Apps
This project reflects our position in the MedTech space, and more specifically in orthotics and prosthetics. Our team combines native mobile development, advanced hardware sensor integration, and user-centered design for applications where technical precision has to serve clinical simplicity, not get in its way. That same logic of connecting hardware and software reliably also drives our work in IoT projects.
