News

Are interactive window displays the future of retail?

March 9, 2011

According to NewsElectronics.co.uk, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute are working on a prototype for window displays using biometrics -- automated ways of recognizing humans based on physical or behavioral traits. 

Paul Chojecki, a researcher, said window shoppers would be able to point at garments in the store and have them projected on a screen in the display window in 3-D. Customers could then view the item at different angles, choose different colors to display and even purchase items after store hours.

"Retailers' store fronts are arguably their most valuable asset and this new prototype means they could make much more of them," Chojecki said. "The interactive store window will let retailers use their store fronts as a giant catalogue, allowing passer-by to view products in store and purchase goods after hours."

The system consists of four small infrared cameras that continually record the 3-D positions of the hands, faces and eyes. Image processing recognizes gestures, calculates the coordinates and transforms the gestures into the corresponding inputs. This then enables the particular item chosen to be displayed.

The interactive store window  will be unveiled at this year's CeBit Fair, the world's largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions. The show is held in Hanover, Germany.

Intel has also announced the launch of its Connected Store, a 2,400 square foot retail store front of the future that uses Intel's digital signage technology and embedded Intel Core i7 and Atom processors to interact with customers.

Users approach screens that recognize their presence using video analytics, a technology that provides metrics on shoppers’ trends, demographics and shopping patterns to enable retailers to provide personalized shopping experiences. Similar to Fraunhofer's prototype, users can then click on items to select them for a closer look.

"This innovative retail solution is designed to meet the changing needs of tomorrow's marketplace by promoting brand interaction and delivering a more personalized and enjoyable shopping experience," said Jose Avalos, general manager of Intel's embedded computing division. "The interactive technology illustrates how retailers are able to reduce energy consumption, lower total cost of ownership and increase profits with features such as remote manageability and anonymous video analytics."

Best Buy, Kraft Foods and Procter & Gamble have signed on as launch partners.