3-D image processing relieves male shoppers from drudgery

Most of the ladies that I've met in my life enjoy shopping for clothes. Most men, on the other hand, would seem to absolutely despise it. In fact, there's only one thing that men dislike more than shopping for clothes for themselves, and that's accompanying their significant other to purchase a new pair of jeans or a pretty frock.

According to a straw poll taken among some of my closest male friends, the reason for this is the endless amount of time such shopping sprees take. Naturally, this is because of the fact that while two people might be the same height and wear the same size, the way their clothing fits their bodies can vary dramatically. As a result, up to 40 percent of clothing purchased both online and in person is returned because it doesn't fit properly.

Now, however, thanks to the power of Microsoft's (Redmond, WA) Kinect, those hours of waiting for your partner as she spends time in the changing room of the local department store might soon become a thing of the past.

That's right! Much to the relief of menfolk worldwide, a London, UK-based outfit called Bodymetrics has taken eight of the Kinect for Windows sensors and integrated them into a 3-D body-mapping system 3-D body-mapping system called the Bodymetrics Pod, a system that was recently introduced to American shoppers during "Women's Denim Days" at Bloomingdale's in Century City, Los Angeles, CA.

During Bloomingdale's Denim Days, held between the 15 to the 18 March, customers are able to get their body mapped and also become a Bodymetrics member. The free service enables customers to access an online account and order jeans based on their body shape. But the best thing of all must surely be the fact that the entire body-mapping process takes less than 5 seconds!

As a taster of future things to come, customers will also be able to virtually see how jeans look on their body -- whether they are too tight, too loose, or just a perfect fit.

Helping women shop for jeans in department stores is just the start of what Bodymetrics envisions for its body-mapping technologies. The company is working on a solution that can be used at home too. By using that, individuals will be able to scan their body and then go online to select, virtually try on, and purchase clothing that matches their body shape. So soon, there may be no need to leave the house either!

Those interested in 3-D body mapping might be interested to know that there is an entire conference dedicated to this fascinating subject. "3D Body Scanning Technologies" takes place every year in October in Lugano, Swizerland.