Most of us aren’t lucky to fit a specific size, so we often find ourselves oscillating between two, depending on brand. Stores which implement this special mannequin, however, may help us find the perfect fit. OhGizmo has made us aware of the Fifitbot mannequin, which manages to look even creepier than a normal mannequin, consisting of various plates which fit loosely together into the form of a headless and limbless man or woman. These plates can expand and retract due to the servo motors controlling them, allowing one to essentially program in their exact measurements and have the mannequin shift its shape to match yours.
Throw some clothes on the mannequin and you’ll see just how well they fit you or how horrible they look. Unfortunately, though, it’s not quite what you might be expecting. It doesn’t seem that there are any plans to include these in stores, and the technology is instead slated to be used by online retailers. Presumably, they would be able to have their clothing photographed in a variety of different body types, making it easier for online shoppers to see how clothing would look. After all, seeing a simple image of a shirt and having to guess a size isn’t very intuitive, nor is seeing the garment on one model. The company states that the main benefits to utilizing their technology is that more customers will purchase products online knowing they will fit, and the retailers will spend less processing returns.
Regardless of how it’s being used, the technology is quite impressive and I imagine that within the next ten years we’ll see kiosks in clothing stores which allow shoppers to quickly see how something will look on their body type without having to actually try it on. For more technological advances in fashion, check out these Tech-heavy Jackets or how your Clothing Can Power Gadgets in the Future.
