Shopping is now made easier using a virtual mirror developed by Fraunhofer Institute. This new womanly-gadget would help shoppers pick their set of clothes without the hassle of undressing numerous times.

photo credit: bjearwicke (SXC)

People who get to visit the IFA electronics show in Berlin should be able to glimpse a demo of somebody trying out new clothes without the need to take off clothes.

The entire setup consists of a flat panel display with touch screen, a camera mounted above it and lighting to evenly illuminate users. A shopper is required to stand in front of the equipment in green T-shirt. Once a camera has shot the image, the resulting picture is subjected to some algorithm where the shopper can just change the green T-shirt into some other funky style in various colors, logos and textures.

If I happen to be that shopper then I would not get tired hunting for an outfit from several wardrobes, then get into the fitting room, and then doing the outfit selection again.

The idea simply started out on superimposing shoes for a Paris-based Adidas store. Back then, changing clothes through this method was difficult because of the differing texture qualities of clothes. This time the scientists got it right.

I think this is where geeks and fashionistas finally agreed on this one thing.