Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / July 16, 1987, edition 1 / Page 11
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NCSU based team applying computer design in making shoes Shopping for comfortable, fashion able, reasonably priced shoes can be an ordeal for anyone. For people with foot disorders, the choice is even more difficult. Their problems usually call for customized orthopedic footwear that takes months to make and can be very ex pensive. In a project based at North Caro lina State University, and interdisci plinary team of reserachers is apply ing the principles of computer-aided design and manufacturing, or CAD CAM, to the challenge of making quality custom shoes more quickly and at lower cost. "A pair of orthopedic shoes can take months to produce by hand at a cost of betwen $400 and $700," said Dr. Han P. Bao, NCSU professor of industrial engineering. Bao is chief investigator for the study, which is exploring the feasibility of automa ted production of custom shoes. Bao's team has developed a proto type CAD-CAM system for delivering shoe last? forms, shaped like the hu man foot, used by shoe manufactur ers to produce foot measurements and translates them into instuctions for a machine that produces the last. Bao, an expert inthe design of flexi ble manufacturing systems, said some 9.5 million pairs of custom foot wear are requested annually in the United States. "These requests some from people whose foot disorders usually result frm trauma and biomedical condi tions or may be secondary to dis eases such as arthritis, diabetes and circulatory impairment," he said. "With the number of skilled shoe makers declining rapidly and the in creased demand, especially by the el derly, for custom shoes to prevent or alleviate foot disorders, there is a strong need to find ways to produce orthopedic shoes more quickly at less cost," Bao said. The NCSU project is sponsored by the National Aereonautics and Space Administration (NASA) in associa tion with the Veterans Admininsta tion. "The Veterans Administration is particularly keen on obtaining an au tomated process for producing ortho pedic footwear to serve the needs of its members with foot disorders,'' Bao said. NASA, which is interested in finding new uses for space technol ogy, has provided specialized software for the project, he added. The current practice for producing orthopedic footwear involves numer ous manual tasks, ranging from making plastic foot models for pro ducing shoe lasts to shaping a paper pattern for cutting and stitching. In the feasibility study, Bao's pri mary task was to develop CAD-CAM databases for both foot shapes and shoe lasts for application to the ma chining process of custom shoe lasts. "Our primary objective has been to use computer techiques to help re duce the manual time it takes to make individualized shoes," he said. Project participants during the fist phase liave included: Robert Wallace, a Research Trian gle Institute engineer who coordi nated and administered the project; Dr. W. Bonner Guilford of the De partment of Radiology at the Univer sity of North Carolina of Medicine, who provided photographic prints of different feet taken by CAT scanning, showing foot profiles and bone struc tures necessary for appropriate or thopedic prescriptions; Arnie Davis of the Davis Shoes Therapeutic Co. of California, who provided knowledge of the manual fabrication process forcustom ortho pedic shoes; Dr. David McAllister of the NCSU Department of Computer Science, who worked on the conversion of a three-dimensional surface into a two dimensional surface for leather cut ting; and Karrie Finkel of the NCSU School of Design, who is studying the design aspects of generating shoe lasts and assessing the needs of patients. Bao and his graduate student assis tants recently demonstrated thier prototype system. Using numerical measurements of the foot generated by the CAT scan, the system displays a wireframe model on the screen of a graphics terminal. Shape modifica tions can be made at this stage to ac commodate the special needs and measurements of the patients's fool. Next, the numerical data model of the foot is manipulated to produce in structions for a computer controlled milling machine which generates the shoe lasts. The initial work done by Bao and his colleagues paves the way for the design and implementation of a so phisticated yet practical computer based system for automating the en tire process of making orthopedic footwear. Solving remaining problems, Bao said, will require a multi -disciplinary approach involving medical techno logists, computer scientists and ex perts in various engineering fields, suchas industrial, mechanical and electrical. In the next phase of the project, re searchers will look for less expensive ways than CAT scanning to take pre cise numerical measurements of foot for the computer model. They will work on improving (he graphice display to make it more realistic for the human designer. And Bao said the team wil work to pro vide a transparent view of the bone structure within the outline of the foot to assist medical professionals "The experience gained in this pro ject can be extended to the commer cial footwear industry or to the pro duction of any object with complex surface geometry- ornamental prod ucts, die coast of complex aircraft parts," Bao siad. Bao joined the NCSU faculty in 1981. He has been involved in both teaching and research in facilities design and material handling, indus trial automotion, computer-inte grated manufacturing and design of advanced manufacturing systems He also has teen involved in projects sponsored through NCSU's Inte grated Manufacturing Stystems Kn gineering Institute State eye physicians recommend extra eye care in the summertime CHAPEL HILL, NC-As thousands of North Carolinians search for fun in the sun this summer, the North Caro lina Society of Ophthalmology rec ommends extra eye safety precau tions because too much fun in the sun can damage the eyes. "With warm weather comes an in crease in outdoor activities and in creased eye hazards," siad Dr. Ken neth L. Cohen, president of the society. "A variety of problems from sunburned eyes to outdoor sports eye injuries unfortunately is as common each summer as the souvenir sun tan." The physician noted that many summer sunworshippers are un aware that unprotected eyes are sus ceptible to sunburns until it's too late. "Because the summer sun is stronger than at any other time of the year, the eye's delicate tissue can easily be damaged by the sun's ultra violet rays, even on cloudy days," said Dr. Cohen. "But like sunburns of the skin, ul traviolet burns of the eye rarely show symptoms immediatelly," the physi cian continued. "Victims who stay out in the sun all day may not realize their problems until hours later. Some patients even report waking up in the middle of the night with intense pain and unable to open their eyes." "It's important to have eye prob j lems treated by an opthalmologist immediately," he continued. "Fun in the sun is one thing, but too much fun in too much sun can lead to serious pain and vision disorders." The physician noted that many common summertime eye injuries can be avoided through basic preven tive techniques, such as wearing a good pair of sunglasses or safety gog gles. "High-quality sunglasses are an I j essential part of protecting your eyes during the summer," siad Dr. Cohen, who also is an opthamologist at the University of North Carolina at Cha pel Hill. "Sunglasses reduce the eye irritation that comes with summer's more intense sunlight, especially at the beach where the sand and water reflect the sun's bright light and ul traviolet rays." Dr. Cohen said that neutral gray or smoke-colored lenses are most effec Y tive in blocking the sun's dangerous rays. The lenses should be large enough to shield most angles of vi ^Rhonda's Beauty Shop Color, cut ? curl Mon t Womtn t children - HOURS - Tuet.-Fri. 9AM -5PM Saturday OAM ? 1 PM Ownad a Operated by: Rhonda Robaraon 426-8371 Room 2 IHwr *?>???* toad Mwrtwd) sion, and should transmit no more than 30 percent of visible light. In particular, the physician encouraged contact lens patients to wear sung lasses while outside to protect against excess light, dust dirt, and wind that can damage their lenses. When selecting a pair of sung lasses, consumers should examine the glasses for scratches, streaks, bubbles, blurs or other flaws by hold ing them up against a light. While plastic lenses are lighter to wear than glass one. Dr. Cohen cautioned that they are more susceptible to scratches and distortions. To check the quality of sunglasses' lenses, the physician suggested hold ing the glasses at half an arm's length and focusing on an object with strong verticial or horizontal lines. If the lenses are distorted and should be avoided. Although lenses distortion is not in itself harmful, Dr. Cohen noted that it makes the eyes work harder and can cause squinting, blinking, tearing and even headaches, nausea and dizziness. Dr. Cohen also urged outdoor activ ists to exercise caution when playing warm weather sports. "Many sum mer sports involve small balls mov ing very quickly," he said. "Base ball, tennis, Softball and volleyball are all great warm weather activ ities, but if a ball hits you in the eye. the results can be very serious. Un derneath a black and blue shiner should be coular damage that can cause permanent vision impairment or blindness. Anyone who gets hit in or around the eyes should see an op thalmologist immediately." Dr. Cohen encourged sports enthu siasts to wear protective goggles that cover the eye socket and the area around the eyes to prevent needles eye injuries, iiigh-impact plastic goggles with elastic bands are best and can be worn over regular glasses or contact lenses while playing sum mer sports. The opthamologist observed that safety goggles and gloves also are re comended for protection against summer eye hazards that may be lurking in one's own backyard. "Safety goggles are a must during summer tasks, like cutting grass or chopping firewood." Dr Cohen said. "Flying wood chips from a chain saw or flying rocks from a lawn mower are like bullets and needlessly blind hundreds of people every year." Even simple tasks such as pulling up weeds can cause eye injuries. "Every year, we see cases in which people get poison ivy on their hands while gardening and inadvertently spread it to their eyes, sometimes causing severe reactions. Also, many yardwork enthusiasts get stung in and around their eyes by bees, wasps and other insects that they disturb while gardening," Dr. Cohen said. "Gardeners can protect themselves from such eye injuries by wearing gloves and safety goggles when working in the yard." "We want everyone to have a good time this summer, but at the same time we want to ensure proper eye safety," Dr. Cohen said. "People have a tendency to take thier eyes for granted and may not plan ahead for safety measures That's all we're asking? just use your eyes to look around for safer ways to enjoy those summer activities." The N.C. Society of Ophthalmology is a group of more than 250 medical physicians with specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of dis eases and disorders of the eyes. Only and ophthamoloogist can perform a comprehensive medical eye exami nation. Dr. A.F.Downum OPTOMETRIST "TELEVISIONEYETIS" No, thli is not onother new disease that you hove to worry about. Gen erally (peaking, watching television is not harmful to the eyes or to vision. UNDER PROPER CONDITIONS, there is much less locus strain involved in viewing TV than in doing close work such os reading or sewing BUT, there are factors to keep in mind. Don't sit too close to the screen. The ideal point for viewing is five times the width of the picture. With a 19" (diagonal) set. is for example, this compute* to be about six to seven feet. Children, especially, should be discouraged from sitting up close. If they persist, it might be a sign of near-sightedness . Don't watch TV in a dork room. Most lighting engineers ond optometrists recommend soft overall lighting for television viewing. When the room is totally dark, the contrast between the picture and the surrounding area is too great for comfortable and efficient vision. Beware of signs of fatigue or watering of the eyes while watching TV. TV probably isn't the culprit, but this may indicate a vision problem which needs attention. Dr. A.F. DOWNUM 103 W. Eden St. Edenton, N.C. Phone: 482-8444 Pictured above Walker Rayburn is sheen as he sheers a sheep last Friday. Mr. Rayburn pro vided this demonstration as part of the S.O.A.R. in Fun program which is being offered by the library in conjunction with the extension office, and the recreation department. DMV to get new safety equipment RALEIGH? The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles hopes it may soon have some new weapons to use in the war against trucks that break the state's weight and speed laws. The DMV's Enforcement Section is asking for more "weigh-in-motion" equipment that will make spotting il legal trucks easier and more effi cient. The weigh-in-motion units are high-tech portable scales that weigh portable scales that weight trucks and record their speed as they travel on the highway. Currently, in most cases in North Carolina, truckers must pull off the road into a perma nent weigh station to have their trucks checked by enforcement offi cers. Weigh-in-motion equipment al ready owned by the DMV has greatly increased the effectiveness of North Carolina s enforcement effort. It al lows officers to mov?? from place to place, making it harder for truckers to avoid being weighed. The additional equipment the divi sion hopes to get is part of expansion budget request currently pending tie fore the North Carolina General As sembly. The division is asking for $800,000, enough to purchase six to eight of the units If lawmakers np prove the request, the equipment purchased by the division will be used at locations across the state. Commissioner of Motor Vehicles William S Hiatt is a strong supporter of weigh in motion equipment " The additional scales will allow us to check a lot more trucks than we can possibly check without them," Hiatt said. "The weigh-in motion equip ment is important to everyone who ? ravels North Carolina highways and pays highway taxes, because it will make our raods safer and will help them last longer Overweight trucks are dangerous and they tear up the pavement." The DMV already has two portable weigh-in-motion units in operation The units are popular with truckers who are ruwrng within !<'gal speed and weight limits because they allow them to tie, checked without losing tune and; without paying the extra fuel cost that comes from stopping and starting a big'rig Facts and information on wildlife Britain recently dedicated what may be the world's frist tunnel of love for toads. The 10-inch wide tun nel, which runs 60 feet under a busy country road some 35 miles west of London, will enable lovesick toads to proceed safely to a nearby lake for romantic encounters. According to "International Wildlife" magazine, an estimated 20 tons of toads are squished each year on Britain's roads. Who says males and females can't be just friends"? Platonic friendships are quite com man among Africian baboons According to "National Wildlife" magazine, the mate friends protect the females and their young from at tacks by other members of the troop and often groom and cuddle the in fants A male's reward is an in creased chance of eventually mating with the female, although he may have to wait for up to two years A record 141 million Americans now participate in wildlife-related recreation activities, according to a recent study by the I! S Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1985 more than half of all adult Americans engaged in such activities as feeding, observ ing or photographing wildlife, more than one in four fished, and about one in 10 hunted. Altogether they spent more than $55 billion on equipment and transportation to pursue these pastimes. "National Wildlife" mag azine reports LADIES SHOES (SELECT GROUP) MEN'S SPORTSWEAR (SELECT GROUP) OP SHIRTS BATHING SUITS CHILDREN'S WEAR
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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July 16, 1987, edition 1
11
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