Augmented Reality Platforms for Virtual Fitting Rooms

Multi-sensor body scanners combined with new algorithms and social media technologies have started a revolutionary shift away from the classic desktop paradigm and into the direction of intuitive, “natural interaction” where people interface with the technological world through hand gestures, speech and body language. This article reviews recent examples of Virtual Fitting Rooms (VFRs) and supporting technologies which facilitate the shopping experience by letting customers to try-on apparel and/or mixand-match accessories without being physically present in the retail shop. These platforms are not only powerful decision tools for the on-line shopper, but also contribute to the fun factor of in-store shopping. Using depth scanning techniques, VFRs can create accurate 3D models of shoppers and meaningfully query retail digital catalogs, filter out non-fitting items and allow customers assess the styling andmatching aspects in real time. In addition, omnipresent social networking features allow sending photos or videos of the shopper wearing the apparel for quick feedback. The quality of service provided by current VFRs is sufficiently high to boost sales but also minimize returns due to improper fit.