A leading Japanese underwear maker and a university professor are jointly developing a device that allows women to "try on" underclothing via a computer screen.
The Human Science Research Center of Wacoal Corp. and Takao Kurokawa, a professor at Kyoto Institute of Technology, created the device, which uses infrared rays and is capable of displaying accurate three-dimensional images of the body on a computer, with the aim of helping women more easily choose underwear that fits.
Around 900 points are needed for the accurate line and shape of the female body, but measuring 48 points is good enough for choosing a bra, the Kyoto-based center said.
The preinstalled data on Wacoal products also help women determine how they will look in various types of underwear before buying, the center said, adding that the images can be seen in a 360-degree field of vision.
The research center has collected data on the female body from several thousand women, trying to also calculate the average shape of women according to their age.
However, the center said it will take time to put the technology to practical use, because the device still fails to accurately measure the elasticity of the female body.
"In the future, women will carry their personal data in something like a floppy disc and will be able to select their own underwear," Kurokawa predicted.