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FitBot Lets You Try Clothes Before You Buy

Posted by timothy on from the if-you-have-no-real-doll-doppelgaenger dept.

mikejuk writes "There is one big problem with online shopping. You can't actually try out the goods until they arrive. Now Fits.me has a sort of solution in the form of a 'FitBot.' This is described as a robot mannequin, although this particular robot moves in ways that have to be seen to be believed. Servo motors are used to move sections of the body in and out to create different body shapes. It is very eerie and slightly disturbing to watch!"

58 comments

  1. Or... by sakdoctor · · Score: 2

    Just drop vanity sizing.

    1. Re:Or... by peragrin · · Score: 1

      shh think of the women will you.

      seriously vanity sizing needs to end now. when sizes are roughly measurements but can then be +- 2 full sizes you have major issues.

      Guys clothes used to be okay but even that is beginning to fall for vanity sizing issues.

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    2. Re:Or... by firex726 · · Score: 2

      A shame really, as a guy I'll have to start trying stuff on now, I have bought too many clothes that did not fit right.

      I frequently find only about 1/3 of the clothes I like fit correctly, I'm a large and will get that size for maybe even an XL, but when I go to put it on it will feel like a M or maybe a S.

    3. Re:Or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      About 8 years ago, at about 6'1" and high-end-of-normal BMI, I needed an XL shirt. I'm pretty much the exact same body shape right now, and I need L shirts. XL is practically gangsta loose.

    4. Re:Or... by cshark · · Score: 1

      Just don't buy shirts from Walmart. No matter what size you get, it'll be cut like a mumu.

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      This signature has Super Cow Powers

    5. Re:Or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Weirdest thing is that pant sizes seem to have changed too. My waist isn't getting any smaller; I can measure it, and the measurement doesn't match up with the advertised pant sizes.

    6. Re:Or... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Funny

      I've not heard the term before, but I would guess it's the same reason that the average size of condom needed is 'large.'

    7. Re:Or... by paiute · · Score: 1

      Just drop vanity sizing.

      They just need versions instead.

      Hello, I'm looking for a new dress. I wear a size zero...

      point ten.

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    8. Re:Or... by EdIII · · Score: 1

      Except when the online fitbot says, "Sorry I not configured to become that large... fatass", "large" might not be as good as it is in your context :)

  2. Cool! by timeOday · · Score: 2

    I doubt this will work but there's a chance it will, and it would be cool if it did. So, kudos to them for taking a risk and being innovative.

    1. Re:Cool! by sjwt · · Score: 2

      Not that amazing, seems its the same as manual ones, just added servos, I was hopping to see something that could adapt to different shapes at different sizes.

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    2. Re:Cool! by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      Landsend (http://www.landsend.com) had 'virtual' models years ago who adapted to every sizing part of the body.

      Using photos of servo-operated, adjustable, metal tailor models seems so steampunky to me.

    3. Re:Cool! by blincoln · · Score: 2

      Land's End could probably do that because their clothes are their own label (or at least they were the last time I checked, which was quite awhile ago). Retailers who sell clothes made by other companies are often required to display them in a way that meets various requirements of the manufacturer. Some of them require that only photos they provide to the retailers be used. Some allow the retailer to shoot their own photos, but require approval of the models used and/or the photos that are taken. The really picky ones don't allow their merchandise to be sold online *at all* - the buyer has to physically go to a store just to see it.

      I don't think this somewhat-fancy mannequin would meet any of those requirements either, but that's why it will probably be awhile before you see anything like you're describing at more than a handful of online stores.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
  3. clothes + kinect + AR by Superken7 · · Score: 1

    The Kinect hack for trying on clothes with Augmented Reality seems more useful fur such a scenario IMHO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_cYKFdP1_0

  4. Re:A link to the video by anagama · · Score: 2

    eh -- it's OK. Couple that with a real doll and I'll be impressed.

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  5. Re:I rather: FYI: Goatse here by anagama · · Score: 1

    goatse

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  6. Re:A link to the video by anagama · · Score: 1

    Lame -- GP is a goatse. Totally ruined my joke -- or wait -- maybe it's a better joke now?

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  7. Prior art by Alien+Being · · Score: 2

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV2N4KSh3x4

    From Woody Allen's "Sleeper".

  8. I've got something better! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's called FatBot and all it does is shake its finger at you because there's no way your fat ass is going to fit in those jeans.

  9. Clothes-Folding Robot by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 2

    I like my clothes washer and dryer machines. But until they've got an un/loading folding machine that empties the hamper and stocks the closet, my wardrobe will be trapped by the 20th Century. Someone's got to turn machine vision (or some other folding sensor) into a replacement for this drudgery.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

    1. Re:Clothes-Folding Robot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I like my clothes washer and dryer machines. But until they've got an un/loading folding machine that empties the hamper and stocks the closet, my wardrobe will be trapped by the 20th Century. Someone's got to turn machine vision (or some other folding sensor) into a replacement for this drudgery.

      Almost Here... A skillfully programmed PR2 can fold towels, albeit very slowly.

    2. Re:Clothes-Folding Robot by kae_verens · · Score: 1

      as long as you don't mind just wearing towels:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy5g33S0Gzo

  10. Re:Nah, not intersing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    goatse warning

  11. "Danger, Will Robinson!".....NSFW! by rts008 · · Score: 2

    Goatse link warning.

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  12. Not Exactly Earthshaking by MimeticLie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you read the article, customers can't operate the robot. The website just uses it to take pictures of what different body types look in the clothes.

    So in other words, they've taken an adjustable dress form and added some motors. Cool, I guess, but I don't really see how it changes anything (except giving them some publicity on Slashdot).

    1. Re:Not Exactly Earthshaking by unkiereamus · · Score: 1

      So in other words, they've taken an adjustable dress form and added some motors. Cool, I guess, but I don't really see how it changes anything (except giving them some publicity on Slashdot).

      Seems to me the advantage is that in stead of needing to have someone manually change each of the dials to all of the possible configurations for each garment, someone puts the garment on, presses a button, and sits back while it runs through it's paces. That's if the software controlling it can automatically take pictures at each of the setting otherwise the operator has to snap the pic, then press the continue button. I'd be shocked if this was any less than 5 times faster, and probably much faster than that. With that kind of time savings suddenly having pictures of each item at each level actually becomes practical.

      Oh and as a side note, it looks like the form is MUCH more adaptable than all but the highest end dress forms, and perhaps more adaptable than even those (Though to be fair, it's been about 8 years since the last time I shopped for a dress form.)

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    2. Re:Not Exactly Earthshaking by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 1

      I wonder if they could integrate it with a Microsoft Kinect. It scans you at home, and then the robot adjusts to your size based on the Kinect scan.

      --
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    3. Re:Not Exactly Earthshaking by isopropanol · · Score: 2

      It doesn't appear to be adjusting torso length though... Which often seems to be considered to be proportional to the other dimensions, but it's not nescesarily.

      Also, it's only set up for shirts, not for pants.

  13. Does the ... by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... male FitBot include a "dress to the left/right" option?

    Or the "steroid athlete" vs "Ron Jeremy" switch?

    --
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    1. Re:Does the ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My junk is so small that dressing left or right isn't an issue at all.

    2. Re:Does the ... by PPH · · Score: 1

      Sorry to hear that, AC (I'm sure you double-checked the "Post Anonymously" switch before hitting Submit).

      Humor aside, TFA's assertion that female bodies have more variation misses the point that there are a few more dimensions to men's bodies than waist/inseam dimensions.

      And that's not just pants. I'm 5' 6" and I've got to buy XXL shirts (and roll up the sleeves) to get my damned shoulders in them.

      --
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  14. Will it have... by swalve · · Score: 1

    ...inflatable air bladders to simulate the various girths of the shoppers?

  15. Unflattering by zigmeister · · Score: 1

    In the real world this will be unflattering to people watching how fat they are on screen. Better idea: 3D online shopping. You can get a 1:1 (for small objects like clothes, toys, consumer electronics etc.) 3D object model of the product you're viewing. Of course you'll need a 3D monitor etc. Even better is that it works for all products, not just clothes. Anybody know of a site that supports this tech? I don't. hmmm.

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  16. I'm afraid by hellop2 · · Score: 1

    It doesn't get fat enough for the average consumer.

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    1. Re:I'm afraid by hellop2 · · Score: 1

      Also, wouldn't just having 10 different mannequins be cheaper?

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    2. Re:I'm afraid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't get fat enough for the average American consumer.

      Fixed that for you.

    3. Re:I'm afraid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The deal seems to be that this fancy machine one is more than just 10. Somebody less lazy than I am can probably do the math on exactly how many (reasonable) possibilities there are. The two benefits to this system are:

      1) They clothing companies outsource the job and so have to buy zero mannequins.
      2) The machine can no doubt cycle through many shapes and take pictures far faster than a human could change clothes on a mannequin.

      Oh also perhaps this technology will make it into the next version of RealDoll

  17. Where's the "I'm not that fat!!!" button? by RogueWarrior65 · · Score: 1

    This should also be combined with an Asimo so you can see what stuff looks like on you while you walk because after all, who just stands there waiting to be admired?

  18. Consumer to robot: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Consumer to robot: PUT SHOE ON HEAD

    The /b/tards will be all over this. ;0

  19. Robotic taylor? by Latent+Heat · · Score: 1

    OK, OK, we take it "in" a little!

  20. Portal Panels by pgn674 · · Score: 2

    The video reminds me of the panels that Aperture Laboratories had in their Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, in Portal 2. It's cool to see the concept have a real world use. I wonder if there are other useful applications for the concept?

  21. dress form by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My wife has one of these, it's called a dress form. (plus some servos of course)

  22. Simple alternative solution (at least for men) by kanweg · · Score: 1

    I do already have clothes that fit. I can measure specific distances of those. Why doesn't a webshop indicate those measures for particular items, instead of stupid indications like L, XL (that I believe vary among manufacturers) etc.

    I was tempted to buy cool "Teach the controversy" T-shirts (http://controversy.wearscience.com/) but ended up not doing that.

    I don't want to buy something with a right to return it; I don't want to waste my time on that. I want my purchased clothes to fit.

    Bert

    1. Re:Simple alternative solution (at least for men) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly! In the age of search engines and online shopping, I should be able to sort the clothes by how well they would fit me instead of using archaic and arbitrary S-M-L schemes. In fact, I should be able to go to a website and order a pair of jeans by inputting my measurements and choosing a style. Hell, T-shirts are simple enough that I should be able to walk into a shop, get a 3D scan while I choose a design and then walk out wearing my new T-shirt that was made on the spot to fit exactly.

    2. Re:Simple alternative solution (at least for men) by Fancia · · Score: 1

      Did you check their sizing chart? They give you the measurements of the shirts in inches. It's not exactly an obtuse measurement.

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  23. What happened to custom clothes? by mbstone · · Score: 1

    Where is the scanner that will scan my ass and allow me to order custom lasercut garments? This should have been implemented ten years ago.