New developments in technology are increasingly influencing our shopping habits. Online shopping alone is a clearly growing sector and offers the customer speed and, above all, great convenience. But is it a real shopping experience?
Technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are intended to transform online shopping into a personal and thoroughly interactive experience. A 3D scanner, for example, can create a model of the human body, with which clothes can be tried on virtually and come a little closer to the physical fitting.
3D scanners that work with stripe projection or lasers are already well developed, but would be far too complex for everyday use. Larger companies like Sony are already working on a technology to enable 3D scanning with the mobile phone.
Contents
SAIA technology as one of the most revolutionary developments in 3D scanners
The Californian company 3D-Look created an advanced 3D scanner technology to measure the human body, the artificial intelligence called “Scanning Artificial Intelligence for Apparel” (SAIA) and enables revolutionized online shopping using your smartphone as a 3D scanner
Even photos from mobile devices can be used by the system to create a “fit profile”. With this more precise model of the body, items of clothing can be tried on virtually and the right sizes are found.
The function of the SAIA 3D scanner step by step
The system only requires two images of the human body, one from the front and one from the side. The body is scanned in the system with the help of algorithms. The first body contours are recognized and entered into the so-called “neural network”.
The system then recognizes the landmarks and creates a probability map for each of these points.
Using a virtual camera, each 2D construct model is converted into a parameterized 3D model projection. Statistical modeling and 3D geometry algorithms then create the model of the human body with precisely determined body dimensions.
The big advantage of this new 3D scanner technology is that only two photos from your smartphone are needed to create an accurate 3D model.
The technology, called SAIA Perfect Fit, is scheduled to be released in autumn. The customer can be guaranteed a high level of accuracy and returns are reduced for the company. Another advantage for the company is the data that SAIA collects and it is easier to respond to customer demand.
But this collection of data deters many customers
3D-Look not only wants to take care of the realization of a nice shopping experience, at the same time the protection of private data should be guaranteed. This requires professional and discreet handling of data and photos.
Customer photos are sent to the system via an SSL connection. The server processes the photo directly and creates landmarks on the body without anyone else seeing the photo. After that, the images are permanently deleted, leaving only the 3D model for future use.
Nevertheless, the data on the measurements are stored by the system and forwarded to the companies. This is a welcome source of information for businesses, but it can still be a hindrance for customers.
If you want more detailed information, you can find everything else on the official 3D-Look website.
Try on new clothes from the comfort of your own home. Would you use this 3D scanner system or are you really put off by collecting the data? Tell us what you think and contact us. Would you like a summary of the most important news in 3D printing and additive manufacturing directly and conveniently in your mailbox? Register now for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to stay up to date! You can also find us on XING and LinkedIN.
