Now, 3-D body scanners to tell if a cloth fits you or not

WELLINGTON - The fashion industry is looking forward to the potential for 3-D body scanners to help confused shoppers select garments, according to a top United States researcher.

Kerry King, product development manager at the Textile and Clothing Technology Corporation (TC2), a United States industry-funded research institute, has said that scanners have come down in price to the point where the technology is within reach of individual retailers.

Victoria’s Secret and menswear store Brooks Brothers are among brands to have invested in body scanners in some of their stores.

“The technology can be used for custom garment fit scenarios, where you get body-scanned and you obtain a person’s measurements that are used to drive the building of a custom pattern,” Stuff.co.nz quoted King as saying.

“But probably more commonly the technology is being used in the size prediction area, where it is used to direct consumers to garments that might be more appropriate to their body dimension and shape and to help them figure out what size of garment to wear,” she added.

Scanners could also be used to make it more practical for people to shop for clothes online, she said.

“The technology can be used to drive the generation of a 3-D avatar that represents an individual that could be used for virtual shopping,” she added.

In fact, TC2 has developed its own scanner and avatar-generating software that costs about 30,000 dollars.

However, 3-D scanning does not really ensure more customised clothing.

King said that clothing manufacturers could also use scanners for research, to check the typical body shapes of their target markets to help ensure “one size fits all”.

She presented the findings on a visit to Auckland University of Technology where she spoke at a digital strategies symposium. (ANI)