Amazon has filed a patent that suggests the company could one day provide an augmented reality (AR) experience that would let users “try on” clothes and accessories before buying.
The patent is based on an application originally made in 2013. It was published today and describes how a smartphone-based augmented reality system could extend the online shopping experience.
As GeekWire reports, the patent would use your smartphone camera and a three-dimensional depth sensor to scan your body dimensions. If you want to try on a watch, for example, you’d point your phone at your wrist. The app would overlay a 3D representation of the watch on the camera screen. You could also use the feature to try on shoes, glasses, jewellery and even clothes.
The AR patent would help Amazon manage the common problem of people returning items bought online when they don’t fit, or don’t look, as expected.
“Traditionally, customers buying [a] physical item have relied on one or more pictures of the item to attempt to visualize how the physical item would look in use,” the filing reads. “However, many users may have difficulty judging the appearance of the item as worn or used, based on the picture… by providing the augmented image, the user may be better able to visualize the appearance, fit, and so forth, of the virtual item.”
The technology is one of several different ideas Amazon is known to be exploring and the company is particularly focusing on mobile-based solutions that reflect where most people tend to shop. Amazon hopes to give shoppers a better view of what they’re buying by moving beyond 2D photos to “try at home” digital experiences.
Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that Amazon’s also looking at setting up furniture stores that use augmented reality. The company is also considering setting up its own chain of physical retail locations where augmented reality would allow shoppers to see how items would look in their own home. Amazon devices such as its Echo smart speaker family would also be available.
