Window-shopping Device Unveiled ... AFP
Photo: Getty Images
A woman demonstrates interactive window-shopping.
There’s window-shopping and then there’s window-shopping.
Researchers have unveiled a new high-tech device that will allow shoppers to buy items by simply pointing at them through a store window, the AFP reports.
The futuristic device, currently on view at Germany’s CeBIT fair, tracks the hand’s movements through infrared technology. A few waves of your mitt can pull up a 3-D shot of the desired item and rotate it. The shopper then points to the checkout window and pays by placing a smartphone to the glass.
Researchers claim the interactive shopping window is hygienic (because actually touching the glass is not required) and is a natural extension of touch-screen technology already on the market. Prototypes are expected to hit stores this year.
“It’s secure, easy and of course 24/7,” said Paul Chojecki, project manager at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, which developed the innovation. “I would say in two years, this technology will be fairly widespread. A few big stores have already expressed an interest. It’s really a revolution for window-shopping.”
Get the full story from the AFP.
