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The Future of Footwear: Forbes on IAMBIC’s AI Revolution

IAMBIC MODEL T precision-fit sneakers featured in Forbes as the AI footwear revolution

AI-tailored, precision-fit shoes that learn from your wear. Advanced smartphone 3D scanning and a comfort profile create your personal fit. Each pair is made to your geometry, then refined with real-world Sole Print data.

Who we are. TIME Best Invention. Backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Designed in New York City. Crafted in Europe.

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Forbes spotlight: The footwear brand using AI to revolutionize shoemaking

NEW YORK, NY — Forbes profiles how IAMBIC is applying NASA-grade, AI-assisted design to address a systemic industry issue: poor fit. Before mass production, shoes were crafted to the individual. Today most pairs are built around standard sizes, and our feet feel it. A systematic review across 18 studies found 63% to 72% of participants wore ill-fitting shoes, which correlates with discomfort and conditions like bunions and calluses.

“Have you ever had a custom-made shoe?”

Anna Haines, Forbes

The piece traces IAMBIC’s origins to Maeve Wang’s own struggle to find shoes that fit, and explains how data, biomechanics, and craft combine to deliver a precision experience that scales.

Read the Forbes feature


Why standard sizing fails, and how AI changes the outcome

Standard sizing and conventional manufacturing do not account for three-dimensional foot morphology or the wide variation in foot shapes. IAMBIC’s approach starts with a scan and builds forward from data and biomechanics.

“Most shoes start from a fixed size chart and a static last.”

Maeve Wang in Forbes

The remaining population tolerates discomfort or trades comfort for style. IAMBIC’s fit model is designed to address those quiet trade-offs with personalized geometry and materials.


How the IAMBIC fit system works

Three smartphone photos generate a 3D picture that considers shape, size, and walking patterns. NASA-grade capture and AI algorithms map the fit to a digital mould. Skilled artisans craft the pair. As the shoe is worn, Sole Print ridges capture a heat-map of gait to fine-tune future pairs.

  • Scan: Three images on your phone create a 3D model of your foot.
  • Model: AI maps your geometry to a digital mould and fit profile.
  • Craft: Each pair is made to order by artisans with full-grain leather and a three-layer rubber sole.
  • Refine: Worn sole photos train updates to cushioning, structure, and fit for your next pair.

“When the shoe matches your foot, pressure distributes more evenly, heel lock improves, and consistent contact under the arch supports natural load transfer through the gait cycle.”


“People feel steadier and finish long days with more energy, better balance on stairs and curbs, and longer comfortable wear.”


How custom-fit shoes work


Outcomes for leaders who move all day

Fit directs how force travels through the kinetic chain. Small misfits compound over miles and show up as hotspots, blisters, calluses, ankle and calf tension, and posture shifts that drain energy. IAMBIC’s system reads more than 20 biometric variables, including forefoot shape, ball girth, instep volume, arch height, heel morphology, and how your foot transmits load and pressure.

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Made to order, designed for longevity

Longevity matters for people and the planet. Poor fit and overproduction drive waste. IAMBIC’s make-to-order model reduces size-run overproduction and lowers return risk, with premium materials designed for years of daily wear.

“Precision fit means each pair has an owner before it is made, which lowers size-run overproduction and lowers return risk.”



Access at a fraction of traditional bespoke

Traditional made-to-measure can run $3,000 to $10,000 and focus on hand-built dress shoes and boots. IAMBIC delivers a made-to-order pair in four to six weeks at $550.

“True made-to-measure shoes are slow, expensive at roughly $3,000 to $10,000, and usually limited to hand-built dress shoes and boots. We are making accessible what was once a bespoke luxury at a fraction of traditional custom pricing.”



Signals of progress

  • More than 50,000 scans processed
  • 12 patent-pending inventions across fit modelling and digital-to-physical craft
  • Named a TIME Best Invention
  • Featured at the Miami Shoe Museum and on Times Square billboards
  • Backed by a $1 million National Science Foundation grant
  • New Art Gods series of made-to-order collaborations by Miami artists

“The next Nike is going to start with the data… when everyone's wearing precision-fit shoes.”



Experience comfort built for you

Explore MODEL T or take the Fit Guide Quiz. Most first pairs are made in about four to six weeks after your consultation.

See your personalized fit plan


About the Forbes author

Anna Haines is a lifestyle journalist with over seven years covering wellness, travel, food, style, and beauty. Her work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, Food & Wine, The Globe and Mail, Eater, Vogue, AFAR, Well+Good, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, Insider, and more. She is an award-winning photographer and an alum of the International Center of Photography and McGill University.


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