Virtual Hair Extension System for Accurate Color Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online customers face difficulties in finding the correct hair extension products due to numerous available colors and shades, leading to incorrect orders, additional shipping costs, and increased customer support time.
Innovation Solution
A virtual hair extension system that analyzes a user's image to determine their hair color and displays suitable hair extensions, using a computer with modules for hair segmentation, color matching, and blending to generate a modified image of the user wearing the selected hair extension, thereby facilitating accurate product selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If customers browse numerous hair extension products with multiple colors and shades online, then product variety is improved, but customer decision-making difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the customer's appearance by analyzing their photo and generating an augmented image that shows how they would look with different hair extensions. This virtual try-on copy allows customers to evaluate multiple products without physically trying them on, simplifying the decision-making process while maintaining product variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically identifies the customer's natural hair color and uses this information to filter and recommend hair extensions with matching colors and shades. By changing the visual representation of hair color in the augmented images, the system helps customers easily select appropriate products without being overwhelmed by numerous color options.
2Productivity
If customers order hair extensions without accurate color matching, then ordering process speed is improved, but order accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary color analysis by automatically detecting the customer's natural hair color from their photo before the customer places an order. This preliminary action of identifying hair color and pre-filtering compatible extensions allows customers to make accurate selections quickly, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual color comparison while ensuring color matching accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback by displaying augmented images that show the customer's appearance with different hair extension colors. This immediate visual feedback allows customers to verify color compatibility before purchasing, ensuring accurate color matching while maintaining fast ordering speed.
3Loss of time
If customers receive incorrect hair extension products, then initial shipping time is reduced, but total time to receive correct product increases due to returns and re-shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary virtual try-on simulations, allowing customers to verify product suitability before purchasing. This preliminary verification ensures first-order accuracy by preventing incorrect purchases, thereby eliminating the need for returns and re-shipping while maintaining efficient initial shipping timelines.
4Measurement precision
If the system provides detailed virtual try-on functionality, then product selection accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex manual color matching processes with automated computer vision technology. The hair color detection module automatically analyzes the customer's photo to identify their natural hair color, eliminating the need for manual color comparison. This substitution of automated image processing for manual evaluation maintains high product selection accuracy while managing system complexity through algorithmic efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual hair extension system is provided. The system includes a memory device having a user image of a user having hair, a display device, and a computer that is operably coupled to the memory device and the display device. The computer has a hair segmentation module and a hair extension blending module. The hair segmentation module generates a binary hair mask based on the user image. The hair extension blending module generates a final modified user image having the hair of the user with a selected hair extension thereon utilizing the user image, the binary hair mask, and a reference image of the selected hair extension. The computer displays the final modified user image having the hair of the user with the selected hair extension thereon on the display device.