Shop for your next clothing ensemble using the scanning-powers of the Kinect.
Microsoft’s Kinect is a never ending spring of potential, way beyond the selfish nerdy obsession to have pretend Star War’s light saber battles. The motion-sensing hardware is currently being put through the testing paces for other more noble pursuits, especially in the field of medicine where the Kinect has shown flexibility in evaluating some mental conditions, and guide imaging for cancer surgery.
Compared to these applications though, what department-store Bloomingdale’s is planning on doing with the Kinect might sound extremely lame-sauce. Although, I’m sure its use will be a godsend to those who hate wasting their weekends imprisoned in a dressing-room lobby as their mate tirelessly tries on clothing piece after clothing piece. I could point out that the majority of those people would be guys, but I’ve know some fellas who take forever in dressing room too… Uhh, wait, why are you all looking at me? Stop it.
The implementation, devised by British body-mapping firm Bodymetrics, uses eight Kinect for Windows cameras to analyze and categorize bodies based on a 3D model, which in turn, helps the customer find the perfect-fitting pair of jeans or what have you. Yes, searching through clothing racks will be a thing of the past, as all one must simply do is step into the giant pod that looks like a leftover prop from a Lady Gaga concert, and once scanned, choose from a selection of styles that suits their tastes.
The process is a little more detailed than that, sure. After the scanning period, the machine, using the info gathered from every Kinect sensor, classifies the user into one of three size-and-shape categories – emerald, sapphire, or ruby. Insert your own Pokemon joke here. From that point on, it’s clear sailing to putting together a boss outfit. Why don’t you see it in action for yourself, with this video from an installation located at a Selfridges retailer.
Hmm. My only fear is that this technology will be used to humiliate our species into unflattering submission if there’s ever a robot-uprising. Other that that, it looks pretty cool! But I’m sure you will agree that the trailer for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is probably even cooler. Check that out, along with Nasa’s Atlas of the sky, right here on Walyou.
