For many people, foot pain is ignored until it starts changing everyday behaviour. They walk less, avoid stairs, switch shoes, or live with knee and back discomfort that seems unrelated. GoodARCH is betting that a five-minute scan can narrow the gap between early signs and medical attention.
The Asian arch support brand, operated by Taiwan-based Homeway Technology, has invested nearly US$230,000 to develop an artificial intelligence-powered foot mapping system, which it is now introducing in Malaysia. The system generates a personalised foot assessment in about five minutes, using image recognition and footprint mapping to help users understand their arch structure and spot imbalances earlier.
Also Read: From smart rings to health coaching: AI and the new preventive healthcare paradigm
The technology is available at several locations, including GoodARCH’s headquarters on Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur, as well as in Penang, Batu Pahat and Johor Bahru. The company said it also plans to work with local health management providers as it expands in the country.
The launch sits at the intersection of two trends that are becoming more visible in Southeast Asia: consumers taking a greater interest in preventive health, and wellness brands using AI to turn quick assessments into personalised recommendations. In markets such as Malaysia, where private healthcare costs are a concern and an ageing population is putting more pressure on the health system, tools that help people identify potential issues earlier are drawing growing commercial attention.
From arch support to AI assessment
GoodARCH was founded in 2002 by Dr Hsieh Chin-Hsing. It began with arch support products before expanding into health footwear and everyday wellness support. Its latest AI foot mapping system was developed over 12 months by an 11-member team spanning medical engineering, business and edge computing.
According to the company, the system builds on its earlier use of cloud-based image recognition and reusable silicone footprint mapping. In practice, the pitch is straightforward: users receive a quick assessment of their foot structure, which can then inform the choice of arch support or related products.
GoodARCH said its technology has so far supported foot structure assessments for more than 300,000 users. Each assessment is paired with its Far-Infrared Arch Support insole, which the company says is designed for stability and shock absorption.
“GoodARCH has continued to invest in foot health technology and research, evolving from infrared-based arch support solutions to graphene technology, proprietary Torsion Field Energy technology, and now AI-powered digital foot mapping,” said GoodARCH Chairman Hsieh Ming-Chia.
The company has also extended its materials and wellness technologies into Health Rhythm, a physiotherapeutic recliner designed to support circulation and sleep through a passive routine. Its core technologies have received medical device approvals and National Quality Award certification in Taiwan, and it holds patents in markets including Malaysia, mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
Why Malaysia matters
Malaysia is a logical testbed for GoodARCH’s next phase. The country has a relatively developed private healthcare and wellness market, urban consumers familiar with mall-based health screenings, and a growing middle class willing to spend on products that promise comfort, mobility and long-term wellbeing.
Also Read: The US$500 fix that could unlock a lifetime: How MiracleFeet is closing Asia’s clubfoot gap
There is also a real public health backdrop. GoodARCH cited data suggesting that up to 75 per cent of people will experience a foot problem during their lifetime. Separately, a study of 190 students by the International Islamic University Malaysia found that 26.3 per cent had flat feet.
Flat feet do not always cause pain, and not every case requires treatment. But arch structure can influence balance, gait and load distribution across the body. Over time, persistent misalignment may contribute to discomfort in the ankles, knees, hips or lower back, particularly among people who stand for long periods, wear unsuitable footwear, or have age-related joint problems.
Malaysia’s ageing population makes this more relevant. Data from the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Malaysian Orthopaedic Association show that 30 to 40 per cent of Malaysians aged 60 and above suffer from knee osteoarthritis. While osteoarthritis has multiple causes, including age, weight, genetics and injury, long-term biomechanical stress can be a contributing factor.
For GoodARCH, the opportunity is not to replace clinical diagnosis but to make the first step less intimidating. “Many people only start paying attention to their feet when pain or difficulty walking begins to affect daily life. AI gives us an opportunity to change that by making foot assessment a simpler first step toward greater awareness and earlier action,” said founder Dr Hsieh Chin-Hsing.
That distinction matters. AI-assisted consumer assessments can be useful for screening and education, but they also risk overpromising if positioned as medical diagnosis. The success of such systems depends not only on speed and convenience, but on clear communication about what a scan can and cannot tell a user, especially when the assessment leads straight to a product recommendation from the same company.
A competitive space for personalised foot care
GoodARCH is entering a market that already includes global and regional players using scanning, pressure mapping and customisation to sell insoles and footwear. Aetrex offers foot scanning technology through retail partners, while FootBalance provides customised insoles shaped around in-store analysis. Dr. Scholl’s has long used kiosk-based foot mapping in mass retail, and Superfeet has built a strong brand around performance and comfort insoles.
In Southeast Asia, competition also comes from podiatry clinics, physiotherapy centres, orthopaedic footwear providersand sports retailers offering gait analysis. This makes GoodARCH’s challenge twofold: it must convince consumers that its assessment is credible, while showing partners that its system can fit into existing wellness, rehabilitation or retail workflows.
Also Read: Why Southeast Asia’s next healthtech winners will be built around healthcare workflows, not just AI
The broader direction, however, is clear. Healthcare is moving beyond hospitals and clinics into pharmacies, gyms, shopping centres and homes. For healthtech startups in Southeast Asia, this shift opens space for tools that are faster, cheaper and easier to access than traditional specialist appointments.
GoodARCH’s Malaysian rollout is therefore less about a single foot scan than a wider question: how much preventive healthcare can be delivered before a person becomes a patient? If the company can answer that with enough clinical discipline and consumer trust, foot mapping may become part of a much larger wellness stack.
The post GoodARCH launches AI foot mapping in Malaysia with US$230K healthtech investment appeared first on e27.