The latest trend in window shopping might make the interior of a store no more important than a storage closet. German research institute Fraunhofer has developed an interactive window display that sidewalk-lookers can control with their facial expressions.
That's right, raise an eyebrow at a handbag and it might appear on a screen below you, rotating in 360 degrees for better inspection. Or something like that. The Fraunhofer system uses four cameras to track the spatial positions of a viewer's hands, eyes and face, then transforms her motions into commands. It even works after hours and, because the program can allow viewers to select and purchase items they have called to the screen, an interactive display could continue “making sales” when the store is closed. Although, the researchers in their news report don't mention how one would actually get the item on the other side of the glass. Unless they plan to also turn boutiques into a giant vending machines, I imagine items will be for future pick up.
The Fraunhofer system does not store personal information collected by the cameras, but it does keep track of some statistics in order to make suggestions about what to display on the screen. It will also show “customized greeting texts,” according to the report, “to guarantee a close bond to the customer.” Like what? Hello young lady, who is interested in yellow shirts. Not sure I'd care much to bond with a window display, myself.
And as a consumer, this seems most useful only after hours. Why bother examining an item on a screen in the window (as cool as moving it with my face might be) when I could just go inside and hold it? U.K.-based mobile phone company Orange has a gesture-responsive window display in a London storefront, but even this video about it notes that it is for “at night time, when stores are closed.” Still, I'm eager to see if this takes off. If anything it will be entertaining to watch others window shop.
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