March 29, 2007 — With literally thousands of variations in styles and sizes, what's a shoe store to do with all of that stock? How about trade it in for virtual reality?
Researchers have developed a computer system with 3-D imaging technology that allows shoe shoppers to stand in front of a virtual mirror and try on a variety of styles just by pointing at a computer screen.
The unconventional mirror will give customers an endless selection while helping to reduce inventory stock and cost for retailers.
"There are a couple of thousands of combinations of the colors and materials you can chose from," said Jürgen Rurainsky, a Ph.D. candidate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications in Berlin.
The technology is being put to use by Adidas in their Paris shop on Avenue des Champs Elysées. It's comprised of a video screen that doubles as a sort of mirror, a small web camera, and computer with 3-D imaging software.
The customer selects a prototype shoe in the correct size and style, and then stands on top of a green mat in front of the virtual mirror.
The top half of the mirror actually reflects the person's legs, but the bottom half is a video screen designed to display the virtual shoes.
