Online shopping is one of the most popular ways of buying things. However, one area where online shopping has faced a roadblock is in the arena of online cloth shopping. Most people are wary of buying clothes online because they are scared that the clothes they buy will not fit them. But now, this most troubling problem seems to have a solution!
Researchers and scientists at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing have come up with shape shifting mannequins- Something which is going to change the online shopping game forever!
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They are aptly named the iDummies and with the help of mechanical plates, the shape-shifting mannequins can actually change their structures. This is revolutionary for fashion designers who will now not be limited to sizes and can actually try out their designs on differently shaped mannequins. This mannequin will actually show you how exactly a particular fitting would look like on you. The smart device will mold itself to suit the body needs for different people.
Source: core77.com
How Does The iDummy Work?
The iDummy is a smart device, which means that it is controlled via means of a computer and will change its shape depending on the requirements. The device can change its size by gathering measurement data from a 3D body scanner. It will then change its proportions and then its shape accordingly. What makes this mannequin special is that it can also adjust its measurements in just minutes. As a result, it will give consumers an easy and accurate physical avatar which in turn will help them fit into all different garments of various shapes and sizes.
Source: trendhunterstatic.com
Right now the iDummies only exist in a female-coded form right, but their inventor, Chan, is working on different version which is going to be a male-coded version. Thoughts are also on to work on one specifically for bra fittings.
There is also an Estonian company which has a similar robotic mannequin which can shift its shape to suit the needs of the customer. The company, called Fits.Me, is so accurate that it can adjust into just about any male body measurements. Thus it will give online shopper a chance to have a real-world glimpse into how a garment will fit their specific bodies.
What does this robot do? Well, first the Fits.me team will place the retailer’s clothing on the mannequin and then take the robot through its cycle of 2000 different, but known body shapes. On the online shopper’s side, later, when they will be shopping on that retailer’s website, they will actually be able to type in their specific measurements and the particular clothes which you would want to buy would be shown on that mannequin! Now isn’t that great! You will not have to worry about buying ill-fitting online clothes anymore!
Source: .facebook.com/ItFitsMe
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The only limitation for Fit.me is that there is only a male robot now, but it is fascinating to see that this particular robot can change shape to be of 2000 different body types. And it is actually NOT surprising that they are taking their time to come up with the female version. It is very natural because the female body has a higher amount of variable measurements. But once online shoppers are actually able to virtually try on clothes on before they go on to buy, online apparel sales are bound rise exponentially.
The Estonian company actually did a test run and they found out that the online clothing sales jumped by a whopping 300% and at the same time they saw that the returns dropped down by 28%. This is great news!
The man behind Fits.me is Haldre, who once had a dream when he was a kid that he would have an army of robots to run the world. We can now say that his dream has partially come true!
Source: fastcompany.co
Sure we have tons of amazing technology for fashion, but we are sure these mannequins are going tor revolutionize online shopping forever!
