Amazon has won yet another patent for a system that would use robotic mannequins to check the fit of garments purchased online – and take selfies showing how the clothes look.
The first patent, issued in January, addresses the robo-selfie part. A patent published on Tuesday focuses on the sensor-equipped mannequin, which can be adjusted to fit the shape of the prospective buyer and take pressure readings to determine whether the garment is too loose, too tight or just right.
The mannequin can also be used for photo shoots of clothes in different sizes. “In one test, it took a stylist manually operating a mannequin and a camera four hours to photograph a single garment under different size combinations,” Amazon inventor Harry James Lewis Eakins wrote.
“In contrast, it is estimated that automated garment photography as described herein enables a single employee to photograph 3,000 to 4,000 pieces of clothing per year.” Having the patent is no guarantee that the robo-mannequin will actually take shape, but it could come in handy as Amazon dives more deeply into the fashion business.
