Interactive Mirror Display for Appearance Comparison in Retail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers face frustration and inefficiency while shopping for consumer articles, such as clothing and furniture, as they struggle to recall their appearance in previously tried items, leading to repeated trials and a cumbersome shopping experience.
Innovation Solution
An interactive imaging and display system that includes a mirror-display device capable of operating in both mirror and display modes, an imaging device for capturing and storing user appearances, and an image control unit for managing these images, allowing users to compare different trials seamlessly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If customers try on numerous articles and wait between trials, then they can evaluate different items, but they cannot recall their appearance from previous trials leading to repeated attempts and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures and stores visual copies (photographs or images) of the customer's appearance during each trial. These copies are then displayed on a screen or mirror, allowing the customer to review and compare their appearance from previous trials without having to remember it, thereby preventing repeated trials and reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the action of capturing and storing the customer's appearance image during or immediately after each trial, before the customer needs to make a comparison. This preliminary capture and storage of visual information ensures that the appearance data is readily available when the customer needs to evaluate different items, eliminating the need to retry articles.
2Measurement precision
If customers repeatedly retry articles to compare appearances, then they can make informed decisions, but the shopping experience becomes frustrating and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates visual copies of the customer's appearance from previous trials and displays them on a screen or interactive mirror. This allows the customer to accurately compare their appearance across different trials by viewing the captured images side-by-side or sequentially, achieving precise appearance comparison without the frustration of repeated physical trials.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate visual feedback by displaying the captured appearance images to the customer during or after each trial. This feedback loop allows the customer to see how they look in different articles and make informed decisions based on visual comparison, eliminating the need for repeated trials and improving the overall shopping experience.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a simple mirror is used for trying on articles, then the device is simple, but it cannot capture and display appearance images for comparison
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines multiple functions into a single integrated unit: the traditional mirror function for viewing appearance in real-time, the imaging function for capturing appearance photos, the storage function for saving multiple trial images, and the display function for showing captured images on a screen or interactive surface. This multi-functional integration allows the system to serve both simple mirror needs and advanced appearance comparison needs without requiring separate devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Some demonstrative embodiments of the invention include systems, devices and/or methods enabling appearance comparison. The system, according to some demonstrative embodiments, may include at least one interactive imaging and display station. The station may include, for example, a mirror-display device capable of selectably operating in either or both a mirror mode or a display mode; an imaging device to capture one or more appearances appearing in a field of view in front of the mirror-display device; and/or an image control unit to select the mode of operation of the mirror-display device according to a user command. Other embodiments are described and claimed.