What is body scanning technology?
Body scanning has been touted as the future of fashion sizing for at least a couple of decades now. But despite several companies entering the field, it’s still struggling to take off. So what is it, how does it work, and why is it so hard to get right?
What is 3D body scanning?
3D body scanning is the modeling of a subject into a digital 3D form, usually by taking multiple snapshots of the body. In fashion retail, the purpose of body scanning is to take accurate body measurements for the purpose of size recommendation or producing custom-sized clothing on demand. But there are uses in other fields too, such as body composition scanning in the fields of medicine and sports science.
How does 3D body scanning work?
There are currently two categories of body scanning being developed for retail use: machines designed for use in retail spaces and apps designed for home use that utilize the consumer’s smartphone cameras.
Body scanning machines
These large machines map models of the user’s body by quickly capturing several images from multiple angles. This is generally done by projecting light (often from a halogen, infrared or laser source) at the body and processing the data reflected back to a camera or receptor into a 3D form that measurements can then be taken from.
Body scanning apps
These work using smartphone cameras to derive measurements similarly to how computer vision tools detect humans in images. The user takes photos of themselves (although in practice it usually requires a second person for best results) and the app identifies certain reference points on the body to map measurements onto it. Body scanning apps are a much newer technology more suited to approximating measurements for online size recommendation tools than accurate measurements for custom-sized orders.
How effective is 3D body scanning?
3D body scanning can be a very fast method for taking accurate body measurements under the correct conditions. So why, after decades of hype, are we yet to see it catch on as a viable method of measuring body dimensions?
The truth is that the correct conditions are much harder to get right than you might think. Here are just some of the usability challenges still faced by the developers of body scanning technologies:
- Light and colour. The perfect scan requires an even reflection of light all over the body. This is difficult to achieve because different colours reflect light differently. Scan results can be dramatically affected by the most subtle inconsistencies in the colour of skin and clothing. Different scanners can be biased to different skin tones and even when correctly calibrated to a specific user illuminated by perfectly flat lighting (no highlights or shadows), that individual’s skin colour is unlikely to be the exact same tone at every point.
- Movement and speed. If the user moves even slightly while being scanned, it can lead to inaccuracies. Consequently, the faster the scanner can collect data the better. Common speed solutions tend to involve adding more parts to the scanner — additional cameras, light and laser triangulation systems, etc — which obviously means increasing the size of the scanner and the amount of space it takes up on the retail floor. Retailers must therefore decide on a tradeoff between speed and size.
- Shape. There are possible false inputs that can distort the scanner’s interpretation of the user’s true body shape. Long hair can affect neck and shoulder measurements negatively, and clothes can completely change the user’s silhouette. Often the user must change into tight clothing first, but this raises two further issues: Will they be comfortable wearing a figure-hugging outfit provided by the store, perhaps even in view of other customers? And has the preparation time now slowed the process to a point where they might as well be measured by a tailor?
- Focus bias. The positioning of the camera or receptor on a full body scanner can result in accuracy being weighted towards certain areas. If the camera is positioned high, for instance, then upper body measurements will be more accurate at the expense of the lower body.
- Expectations. All of the above factors (and more) combine to create inaccuracies in a technology that consumers unrealistically expect perfect results from. Paradoxically, consumers may be more satisfied with a standard-sized product than a better-fitting one. This raises an interesting marketing challenge: How can you sell consumers on body scanning while simultaneously lowering their expectations?
Is fashion retail body scanning safe?
In a word, yes. But concerns are understandable. We’ve long been familiar with the types of body scanners used in airport security and hospital radiology departments, as well as their potential side effects. The small amount of radiation exposure is generally deemed worth the risk for the sake of saving lives, but what about in body scanning for clothing sizes?
Whole body scanning machines for retail work very differently from the heavy duty health and security systems we’re used to. Crucially, since only external body scans are required, the scanners don’t use penetrative radiation, but safe forms of light projection, such as halogen, infrared or class 1 lasers (class 1 being incapable of producing harmful radiation levels).
