Through the looking glass: Virtual mirrors used for a quick change

Virtual mirrors could revolutionise the fashion retail model. A new mirror system is turning clothes shopping into a much more efficient and interactive process. Rather than grabbing a heap of items before heading to the changing room, shoppers can pick just one item, with the mirror offering many more virtual garment options.

Created by researchers at the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (HHI) in Berlin, the mirror reflects a computer image of the shopper wearing a particular item. A camera above the mirror films the customer, then the images are fed into a computer system to be read. Here, the garment is emulated for texture and movement of the material, and the virtual image is projected on to a screen in front of the shopper. If shoppers then wish to see a particular item in a different colour or print, they just tell the mirror to show it – only size is an issue in this changing room.

‘Shoes and clothes are just the first stage,’ explains Anna Hilsmann of the HHI. ‘The virtual mirror could also be used to help customers select eyewear or jewellery.’