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.
To make selections, the customer points at a computer screen, which can be up to a foot and a half away, and chooses shoe styles by navigating through a menu. A stereo camera on the ceiling photographs the finger and calculates its position relative to the screen to produce a touchless screen and finger-tracking system.
A separate camera over the green mat sees the customer's shoes and places an 3-D image of the shoes in the area where the customer's feet should be in the virtual mirror.
The customer can move around and see the shoes from different angles. A point at the screen will instantly change the color or style.
"The customization of one pair takes around 30 minutes and are delivered in approximately three weeks," said Adidas spokesperson Andrea Corso of the company's Portland, Ore., office.
Currently, the virtual shoe shopping experience is only available at the Paris store, but Adidas is planning to make the technology available in other stores, including one in China and the United States.
