Towards an inclusive virtual dressing room for wheelchair-bound customers

Abstract

Abstract-This manuscript reports on a work-in-progress project evolving aside from a main undertaking; that of making a commercial 'Internet of Things' style product called "The Virtual Dressing Room (VDR)". The project targets the process chain from designer and clothing manufacturer to retailer and end-user customers. The VDR has been subject of other publications, thus is introduced only briefly in this manuscript. VDR is a 'non-groupware-based' project funded under the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation. A main goal at conception was reducing returns of online purchased apparel, which, at a reported approximately 40%, is crippling the clothing industry. Results from public response surveys (including at The Scandinavian Health & Rehab Messe) to a VDR simulation system clearly indicated how the wheelchair-bound community perceived benefits from the system. This was unexpected and aside from the original VDR project design requisite. Interviews highlighted problems of high street fitting rooms not being sized to accommodate wheelchairs, and often so minimally sized as to not enable a second helping person to be present to support the involved undressing and dressing procedures. Existing online purchasing systems were also considered problematic including a need to improve social networking to enable others Online to view clothes considered for purchase to assist decision making. The production suffered problematic cooperation, coordination, communication, and collaboration that prevented early product. This resulted in additional surveys and the evolution of this additional work-in-progress. Following introducing the VDR, key issues such as interface design, body measurement, and cloth representation in the VDR is discussed. The finding of wheelchair-bound-need is envisioned as a next-generation iteration and is thus the focus of this contribution to position the work-in-progress and invite like-minded interested parties to collaborate towards optimization of a system to realize potentials.

Simple Hybrid Camera-Based System Using Two Views for Three-Dimensional Body Measurements

“…Online shopping platforms have been attracting a continuously growing number of customers over the years since their introduction at the turn of the millennium. A wellknown problem for online cloth retailers is the high return rate due to a poor fit [13][14][15]; e.g., at the start of 2022, returns for USA retailers accounted for over USD 761 billion in lost sales [16]. Customers will often end up ordering the same piece in different sizes to choose the right fit and then sending back the others.…”

Computational Design of Functional Clothing for Disabled People

“…By changing the design and resizing the projected seam, a model that facilitates a bend of more than 130º at the knees and trunk is created, with no change in trouser fi tting and the functionality of a garment for wheelchair users. Th e use of tailored pieces and the simulation generated positive Figure 8: Developing trouser patterns for people in the sitting position [65] Figure 7: 3D human body animations in diff erent positions [60] Tekstilec, 2019, 62(1), [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Computational Design of Functional Clothing for Disabled People results, which is evident in prototyping. However, this method of design cannot be applied to all wheelchair users, as garment design depends on a person's individual needs and body morphology [61−63].…”

Designing a Contactless, AI System to Measure the Human Body using a Single Camera for the Clothing and Fashion Industry

“…Online shopping platforms have been attracting a continuously growing number of customers over the years since their introduction at the turn of the century. A wellknown problem for online cloth retailers is the high return rate due to a poor fit [1][2][3]; e.g. at the start of 2022, returns for U.S.A. retailers accounted for over $761 billion in lost sales [4].…”

“…at the start of 2022, returns for U.S.A. retailers accounted for over $761 billion in lost sales [4]. 1 Customers will often end-up ordering the same piece in different sizes to choose the right fit and then send back the others. This causes significant costs for the retailer and also has a significant negative impact on the environment.…”