A PERFECT FIT
Our sizes differ depending on where we shop, but could 3D scanning end size discrepancies?
One of the main challenges associated with shopping is finding the right size and fit of clothes, and this is something that 3D scanning could help with in future. British tailor Tailor Made and American tailor Alton Lane are just two companies that have adopted 3D scanning in order to produce precisely tailored suits. Sitting inside what seems like a typical changing room at Tailor Made are 3D scanners ready to digitally recreate your body by taking thousands of measurements in just ten seconds. These precise measurements can then be autonomously transformed into actualised patterns to create a suit. Companies such as ZOZO and Stretchsense have gone one further and integrated artificially measuring the human body into a suit itself. ZOZO have created the ZOZOSUIT, a black, skintight suit with white fiducial marker dots. These dots act as reference points for the accompanying app. By taking 12 images using a smartphone, the ZOZO app will create a 3D rendering of your body and analyse the information, similar to a 3D scanner. Stretchsense has applied the same principle. However, they have created a stretch sensor that can be integrated into a smart garment that will measure itself. As the flexible sensors stretch, internal monitors can record the amount of stretch and therefore when incorporated into a suit can calculate the size of the person within it. Another useful technology in the quest for the perfect fit is laser cutting. Intense beams of light can be used to cleanly slice through fabrics without leaving any stray fibres. This technique can also be used to create garments from a single piece of material rather than stitching together separate sections, which means no more lumpy or irritating seams to contend with!