Trying on clothes in a magic mirror

Tag : garment button
Hamburg, Germany - Wouldn't it be nice if we could shop for clotheswithout constantly having to try them on in the fitting room?Thatfuturistic vision could soon become a reality thanks to the"virtual mirror" presented by German researchers at a consumerelectronics show in Berlin. This mirror-like display enables shoppers to see themselves wearingdifferent items of clothing without having to undo a single button,according to the Fraunhofer researchers at the IFA consumerelectronics show in Berlin. There is more than a grain of truth in the old cliche that men hateshopping for clothes. They find fitting rooms a nuisance and preferto go on wearing the same things that they have always worn. So scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications,Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI), have developed a "magic mirror" thattakes the stress out of trying on new clothes. All you have to do is to choose one T-shirt or shirt, and thevirtual mirror will show how you would look wearing a range ofdifferent designs, without having to take off one to try onanother. "The principle is similar to the virtual shoe-fitting mirror thatwe developed last year for the Adidas flagship store in Paris,"says Anna Hilsmann of the HHI. "But it is somewhat more difficult to create a realistic impressionof T-shirts, shirts or sweaters in a virtual mirror. These items ofclothing develop folds that partially distort the image dependinghow the wearer moves about." Textiles have elastic qualities, their structure is not alwaysuniform, and there are innumerable details that give each materialits special appeal. These characteristics represent a challenge forthe virtual mirror. Summing up the scientific work required, Anna Hilsmann explains:"To reproduce elastic deformations such as those in a woven orknitted fabric, we have to evaluate many different parameters andprocess them all simultaneously." Visitors to the Berlin electronics show were able to see forthemselves how easy it is to display different logos or graphics onthe same T-shirt. So what does a stress-free fitting room look like? The customerstands in front of a display that has a camera mounted above it.The camera registers the way their garment fits and flows andmoves. The computer then "morphs" other styles of the same garment withthe same folds and creases as the garment the person is actuallywearing. When the person moves and turns around, the image also moves andturns. The shadows and lighting effects seen in the virtual mirrorare also identical to those on the real person. "Shoes and clothes are just the first stage," remarks Hilsmann."The virtual mirror could also be used to help customers selecteyewear or jewellery."