Your Old AOL Disks Could Help You Find The Perfect Fit

The thrill of finding the perfect pair of jeans online usually lasts until just after they finally arrive and you realise you chose the wrong size. But a Berlin-based startup called UPcload wants to make online shopping easier with a webcam, a CD and your perfect fit.

While you may think you know your exact size, the fit of garments between brands and styles can often vary. And installing your own laser body scanner at home is a bit impractical. So to improve the chances that something you’ve bought online will fit, UPcload has you stand in front of your computer’s webcam holding up a CD or DVD as a size reference. It then calculates your various dimensions, creating a custom size profile that’s stored in their system. That profile would then be accessible at various online clothing retailers, and would compare the measurements of a given piece of clothing to your own stats, providing a recommendation on the size you’ll need.

Unfortunately the service is kind of useless until it’s actually adopted by a retailer, but the company promises that The North Face will be onboard next year, while they continue to negotiate with larger brands like Gap, Nike, Levi’s and even eBay. [UPcload via TechCrunch]

Discuss

(6 Comments)
  • [–]

    Adam

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    The user would have to stand exactly the right distance away from the camera.
    That is assuming that all webcams have the same field of view which i suspect they don’t.

  • [–]

    Neilo

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    No, that’s what the CD’s for. The webcam image is interpreted by the computer using the CD is a fixed dimensional reference. If the user stands further away from the camera then the CD size would also appear smaller you see.

    • [–]

      olearymo

      Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 11:11 AM

      +1. 8cm is always 8cm, Adam. That’s the point of the whole concept.

  • [–]

    travis

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    Would be good if they designed it for Kinect.

  • [–]

    Steve

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    Fair enough, but how can it possibly take into account really fat people? There’s no depth perception.

    • [–]

      Scott

      Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 1:58 AM

      The software includes algorithms to detect when its field of view is plunged into darkness due to the object behind the CD blocking out the entire sun.

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