Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 5.2
A computer takes a customer's measurements.
(AP photo/Richard Drew)
In some stores in the United Kingdom, you can enter a booth, strip to your under-
garments, and be scanned by a computer, which produces a three-dimensional model
of your body. The computer uses this information to recommend which pairs of jeans
ought to fit you the best. You can then sit in front of a computer screen and preview what
various pairs of jeans will look like on you. When you have narrowed down your search
to a few particular brands and sizes, you can actually try on the jeans.
Body scans are also being used to produce custom-made clothing. At Brooks
Brothers stores in the United States, customers who have been scanned can purchase
suits tailored to their particular physiques [33].
Imagine getting up in the morning, walking into the bathroom, and seeing a message on
the medicine cabinet's computer screen warning you that your bottle of aspirin is close
to its expiration date. Later that day you are shopping for a new pair of pants. As you
try them on, a screen in the dressing room displays other pieces of clothing that would
complement your selection.
These scenarios are possible today thanks to a technology called RFID, short for
radio frequency identification. An RFID is a tiny wireless transmitter. Manufacturers are
replacing bar codes with RFIDs, because they give more information about the product
and are easier to scan. An RFID can contain specific information about the particular
item to which it is attached (or embedded), and a scanner can read an RFID from six
