Virtual Bodyscanner, Virtual Fit/Sizing and Virtual 2D/3D Try-On and Virtual Closet List

Microsoft Kinect Technology is Transforming Bodyscanning and Virtual Fit Capabilities.

Whew -  that is quite a title for this posting and believe me it is not representative of the slew of fashion try on apps out there and not all of them are connected to “fit.” All these apps represent a lot of confusion no doubt caused by that magnificent Kinect-based technology that Microsoft made possible. Before Kinect technology it was either type in your own measurements online to match brand size measurements to user measurements or the currently expanding number of on site body scanners like Me Ality that provide a totally accurate body scan  [far more accurate than what an average user would ever type in]. The scanner service matches and locates brand items that fit the body scan measurements. [Update: If Me-Ality installs 300 bodyscanner brand size matching services in shopping centers across North America as I blogged about in the last post, they will have addressed and resolved a portion of the accurate sizing issue for online retailers. Once your accurate body measurements are in the Me-Ality database, you can shop online for accurate fitting clothing. This will have the effect of significantly reducing returns from online sales. I wonder if the Me-Ality scanner data was uploaded to the [TC]2 mobile Virtual Fashion System if the user could then virtually test various brands of garment fit on themselves in 360 rotation? – see the Smart Phone section on the [TC]2 post]. Kinect based technology has made several 2D try on “flat photo image” applications and 3D [360 degree rotational] accurate sizing and fit applications for the on site retail market and development for home based 3D Kinect fit and sizing services is fast and furious, more are emerging every day.

Kinect technology full 3D bodyscanners have been developed that are capable of providing “highly accurate” full body scans. The key word is “accurate’ the number of depth sensors are directly related to the accuracy and  number of measurements that can be scanned. The number of seconds it takes to scan the 3,6,10 is far less important than the accuracy of the scan and number of measurements the scan [related to the number of 3D depth sensors]. The low cost [$10,000 (portable) or $12,500 in the booth version] TC2 “16 depth sensor” Kinect based bodyscanner machine the KX-16  is overall equal to full body scanners and supports hundreds of measurements with better than 1/4″ accuracy.

You have to know exactly what you are looking for because there is an abundance of smoke and mirrors out there. The listing for bodyscanners and full service providers on this post is not all-inclusive. You will have to do your own research and ask a lot of questions relating to what outcomes you specifically want and compare closely. There will be an International Conference and Exhibition on 3D Body Scanning Technologies in Lugano Switzerland in October, check out the program topics and technical program here. If you are lucky enough to attend, get yourself bodyscanned at several vendors and compare the results.

 Chasing the Holy Grail of Accurate Virtual Bodyscanning & Fit

So far several candidates seem to be currently vying for holy grail development and service providers. First to be mentioned is TC2, who is a provider of direct and indirect technology products and services to industry. [Their mission is to elevate the level of technology, manufacturing systems, and business processes employed in the global soft goods industry through research and development, education, training, and outreach.] Others are Human Solutions, Bodymetrics and DNA Interactif Fashion. Styku is all over the Web announcing that they are definitely chasing the full range of holy grail services but seems to be still in development phase. They are all vying to become the first widely used mass market providers of an entire range of services that includes but is not limited to accurate bodyscanning for fit, & sizing, for product customization and home and/or retail virtual try-on with accurate fit and sizing with the ability to move around in the draped clothing and test tightness of looseness of the fit. Color and styling selections are part of the service as well as locating items from specific brands that the user can try on in the privacy of their home.

Variety of Other Virtual Fit and Virtual Closet Services

Some of the other retail-based Kinect applications enable the user to overlay images of fashion items over a video of them to visually see how the items [dress, handbag, etc.] kind of, sort of look like on the viewer by overlaying a flat 2D photo image.

Not using the Kinect technology is True Fit, one of the more well-known online fit and sizing service. Macy’s and Nordstrom have recently begun using True Fit for certain categories of apparel on their websites. True Fit uses a computer program that relies partly on the clothes already in a person’s closet along with brands’ size specifications. Metail, a virtual fitting room launched by Tesco on Facebook. MyVirtualModel  MVM now markets a weight management simulator in additioin to the My Virtual Model app. One fit application that stands alone in the FitsMe application. It is a shape shifting robot that lets you try clothes online.

TC2 offers low-cost 2D/3D Kinect based body scanning devices for home with the Single Windows Kinect Body Scnner and the TC2 Virtual Fashion System or the V-Dresser [or for Weight Management].

The List

1. Full Bodyscanners [highly detailed or detailed  accuracy]

[note: If you are looking for this technology make sure the measurement extraction goes right to your servers. If there is an online extraction service it should go only to the companies servers and not to the scanner company. If it goes to the scanner companies server, they get a copy of all your data.]

• TC2 - ImageTwin  Highly detailed accuracy, NX-16 White light and also 16 sensor KX-16 Kinect Technology.
• Telmat Highly detailed accuracy,White light technology
• Human Solutions  Highly detailed accuracy, Laser technology
• Spacevision Cartesia  Highly detailed accuracy[offered by TC2 in US and Europe] Laser technology [Spacevision of Japan is currently the leading scanner in Japan and Korea]
• Styku  Kinect 4 sensor Kinect technology/detailed accuracy [possibly a proprietary system linked to Tukacad]

2. Full Bodyscanning  Fit, Sizing, Style, and Data Collection  Services

• Me-Ality Service geared to match consumers to brand fit and styling selection. [Unique Solutions, Gen. II Intellifit Technology] Currently there already are 65 locations across the US [link], funding was awarded in 2011 for 300 new locations All planned locations are here. Video link of retail service here.
• Alvascan Service geared to retailers for fit. [Gen I Intellifit, TC2, Human Solutions Technology].

3. Holy Grail Chasers:  Full bodyscanning  fit and sizing/virtual try-on retail/home, data collection, and mass customization services.

The companies below are representative of some candidates for possibly offering all these products and/or services either via industry outreach or directly to the retail industry. In some cases many or in other only a few more ingredients are needed to obtain the magical holy grail. The most obvious requirement is current placement at retail level.

• TC2 offers and is in continual research and development for the latest in 2D/3D technology primarily for the global softgoods industries that incorporate bodyscanning including chasers of Phase II ”holy grail” home-based  2D/3D Kinect fit technology. In addition to the KX-16 portable full body scanner TC2 offers [TC]2′s Virtual Fashion System  – it makes lifelike natural pose avatars and can show them with clothing, and can predict sizes or provide custom clothing specifications that are compatible with other systems. Here is a link to a mobile device simulation, [note:if you click on the link give it a few seconds to start]. Clothing can be generated from V-Dresser, Marvelous Designer, OptiTex, Lectra, Maya, etc etc etc.  TC2 also offers the  V-Dresser  3D virtual garment creation system. Leveraging recently released low-cost scanning devices for home use, [TC]² has combined that low-cost power and availability with its Size Selection, Avatar Creation, Virtual Fashion, and Weight Loss Visualization technologies developed over the years for use with high-accuracy 3D full body scans. The result is an extremely high value-low cost solution for retail, at-home, and web-enabled smart phone applications. V-Dresser is the overall highest quality lowest cost system and is compatible with garment content from almost all systems. TC2 maintains a strong link between education and industry. TC2 technology is currently placed in numerous public applications via a range of products/service arrangements.
• DNA Interactif Fashion [TC2 Image Twin technology] iStyling Service w/ Interactif Mirror video here. Users can use cloud platform to access their personal proportions, personal body measurements and personalized mannequin to buy apparel, accessories, styling advice, health advice and select new hair styles. All purchases automatically appear on all devices. So they can use it always and everywhere. The consumer can even share info, outfits etc with the community. Offerings of full service here. Their site has links to 3 retail placements, go to DNA Homepage  drop down menu, select References and select from one to the 3 lower locations.
• Human Solutions Retail [Laser technology] offers life-like natural pose avatars and can show them with clothing, and can predict sizes or provide custom clothing specifications that are linked to industrial processes.  The HS system can utilize 3D clothing generated from its product development applications. HS has developed a product called The Virtual Mirror. It connects your products and your customers virtually in real time. In a seamless process chain, bodyscanning is interactively connected with 3D clothing simulation and CAD software.
• BodyMetrics [Kinect Based PrimeSense Solutions Technology] Bodyscanning for Brand matching for Fit, Style Selection, Sizing. Currently available at several retail locations [video link here] , Kinect based home shopping virtual try-on and fit services currently in development.
• Styku [Kinect4 sensor Kinect technology]  Currently no real deployments at retail. [Seems to be still in full concept development stage for Fit, Style Selection, Sizing  and Virtual Try-On  retail/home services and perhaps a variety of other products and services are being planned. [Update: Styku was conducting a 3 month manual user measurement input demo test [category #4] for an online e-tailer Billy Blues that was no longer working at the time of my research for this post. Currently it looks like Billy Blues is no longer taking orders but Styku seems to have recently activated a demo page again for a manual user input size matching service [not a bodyscanning brand matching size service] on their site for jeans at Nordstroms. Here is the direct link.  This does not seem to be a service that is available directly from Nordstroms. Nordstrom currently uses the True Fit service listed below]

4.  Online Fit And Sizing Services That Require User Input Data

This category has some sites that are only available through a retailer, while others are Web services open to the public.  Body dimensions estimated via a variety of questionnaire interfaces where user fills out measurements and current brand style, size/fit info and that algorithm data is matched up with style, sizing and fit info available for online brands.

• TrueFit Winner of 2 MITX [The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange]  innovation awards 2012 ” 2012 Best Consumer Tech that Makes Life Easier” Only a service for retail clients. Find your True Fit at Nordstroms  or at Macys.
• BodyPal For retail clients and free for the public. Video link. [I believe measurements may only metric right now]
• Metail Only a service for retail clients. users. Video link. 
  Tesco is the first retailer to use the technology, which is hosted on its Facebook page. By Emma Hutchings.
• MIPSO - Video Link.  Only a service [online, mobile and in store] for retail clients.
• MyVirtualModel – Only a service [online, mobile and in store] for retail clients.
• WhatFitsMe Free public user site Video link.
• Zafu Free public user site

5. Video image, 3DKinect Bodyscanning Virtual Fit Rooms/Robotic Clothes Form

• UpCload – Free public user site and available for retailers. Users size is estimated via Webcam image and user input measurements.
• TC2 Single Windows Kinect Body Scanner   Accurate Human Avatars for All Applications Including size selection advice, virtual fashion and weight loss visualization.
• Fitiquette - Looks like it will be only a service for retail clients. Seems to be still in development stage – does not seem to be in any on site retailer right now only demo video. The video has too much focus on the customer’s hand movements and not enough focus on the actual product.  Hummm. Video link.  Looks like a still in development 3D Kinect based application that is being planned for use in store and at home with online platform that allows users to input clothing sizes, body types, styles, colors and preferred shopping brands to find the best “fit” using a rotating model. Very interesting…
  Startup Spotlight: Q&A With Fitiquette.
• Sizeseeker Not sure how this will be marketed. The company uses the Xbox Kinect to help users accurately find their clothing size. They are members of the Wharton Venture Initiation Program, all Sizeseeker needs is a photo from the front and side and it will automatically compare your measurements with 100,000 other body scans to estimate size. Wharton Journal link.
• Fits.me – Only a service for retail clients and a really one-of-a-kind unique one at that. Video link.  Robotic size changing clothes form – responds to typed in measurements. Selected garment sizes are illustrated on robotic shape shifting form that match users typed in measurements.

6. Virtual Closets/ Kinect based 2D Virtual dressing room Virtual Closets

Virtual dressing rooms and virtual closets are “not” fitting room applications.  Virtual-Closet Web Sites Revise Online Fashion Shopping , NY Times.

• Clothia.com [mentioned in NY Times article]
• Stylitics.com [mentioned in NY Times article]
• MyVirtualModel Can be viewed at [ MYMODEL.com  2D Virtual dressing room for tweens]  My Virtual Model licenses a white label “Software as a Service” technology that enables customers to build customized virtual outfitting tools right into their web sites and mobile apps
• Swivel By Facecake  Recently provided an on site mall tour, planned as an application for retail sites and home use. Kinect based application let’s you try on 2D images of garments virtually, seems to be no fit and size connection. Video link.
  CES 2012: Virtual dressing room eliminates need to take off your clothes
• Zugara [live video image] Live video based application let’s you try on 2D images of garments virtually, no fit and size connection. Video link.

And finially here is a link to the research link page at [TC]2 and also another link to Cornell University, College of Human Ecology related sites from their 3D body scanner research pages.