Soon, a 'magic mirror' to dress you the 'virtual' style

London, Sept 28 : Ever wondered how easy it would be if we could shop for clothes without having to try them on? Well, that vision could soon become a reality, thanks to the 'magic mirror" developed by researchers in Berlin.

Scientists at Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) in Berlin said that this mirror-like display enables shoppers to see themselves wearing different items of clothing without having to undo a single button.

The computerized mirror takes a life-size 3-D image of customers' bodies and "dresses" them in a picture of the outfits they have chosen.

At this pioneering stage, shoppers can navigate around a control panel at the side of the mirror to change the colour and pattern of the clothes they have tried on.

Researchers hope soon to be able to change clothes on screen without the need to struggle with zips or buttons.

"Our goal is to be able to dress people virtually," Timesonline quoted Anna Hilsmann, one of the mirror's developers at the Heinrich-Hertz Institute in Berlin, as saying.

The new technology is one of a range of body-scanning techniques that could one day lead to an electronic version of bespoke tailoring.

After a visit to a shop to be photographed and have their measurements logged, consumers could order goods online or at the store.

Their measurements would then be sent to factories where the chosen designs could be manufactured in the right size.

Consumers could order goods whenever they saw a new range they liked.

Hilsmann said several international companies were interested in developing the mirror technology.

One benefit could be to reduce the number of wrong-sized clothes bought in shops.

ANI