Skip to main content

Amazon is starting to scan customers’ bodies in the name of online shopping

Things with Amazon are about to get really intimate. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, the online retailer, which already knows more than its fair share about you and your shopping preferences, is about to learn something more — your exact size. Amazon is reportedly inviting customers into a New York office in order to keep tabs on their body shape and size over a 20 week time period.

Twice a month, volunteers (chosen from a survey) will visit the office in order to allow Amazon to better understand “how bodies change shape over time,” as per the survey. In return, participants will receive Amazon gift cards worth up  to $250.

Recommended Videos

The new endeavor seems to come as part of Amazon’s recent acquisition of computer vision startup Body Labs, and the company’s subsequent development of a 3D  body scanning team. The idea, it would appear, is for Amazon to be able to help you find a pair of pants that fits you perfectly, or aid customers in visualizing exactly how a dress might suit a particular body type. This could reduce the number of returns that Amazon has to process, which is always a risk when dealing with online shopping (particularly for clothes).

Amazon is currently building up its body scanning team, which will be focused on creating “statistical 3-D models of human bodies, which it will then match to images and videos of people via deep-learning algorithms and other tactics,” the Journal reports. This will ultimately see a “wide range of commercial applications” for Amazon customers, the retailer says in its job postings.

As of late, Amazon has been focusing more and more on clothing. In addition to launching its own fashion brands in the last couple years, it’s also debuted Prime Wardrobe, which lets Amazon Prime subscribers select several pieces of clothing at once for delivery, and then return the pieces that don’t fit or aren’t flattering. If body scans were already in place, customers could potentially avoid those pitfalls.

But don’t think that this technology will suddenly materialize overnight. As Professor Susan Ashdown of Cornell University tells the Wall Street Journal, body scanning is “much more complicated than anyone imagines. How you hold your shoulders, the angle of your hips — everything feeds into how well your clothes fit you.” But if Amazon can crack the code, it could spell a brand new era in the realm of online shopping.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Tineco’s docking vacuum has a special Prime Day price, but you can get it cheaper
A Tineco Pure One next to its charging base.

Vacuums feel like they're getting more and more expensive, and not just robot vacuum and mop combos, but ordinary hand vacs. You can go to Walmart and see bagged, corded vacuums that cost hundreds of dollars. It doesn't have to be that way. Tineco's Pure One vacuum brings power and convenience for the same price that other vacuums have, but with new features instead of going backwards into the world of cords and bags. Usually $459, it is down to $319 for Prime Day (that's a savings of $140 already) and we're happy to report you can get an extra 5% off with the code TIN25PDPR on Amazon. Tap the button below to see the vacuum yourself and snag this great deal, or keep reading for what makes this vacuum truly unique.

BUY NOW

Read more
This AI mower finally got a discount — grab it before it’s gone
m800 doing work on the lawn

If you’ve been holding off on getting a robot mower because you can’t stand the idea of burying boundary wires or babysitting your lawn from a clunky app, Prime Day is delivering for you once again. The Yardcare M800 Plus is one of the most intelligent, user-friendly smart mowers you can buy and now it's on sale. Pick-up the M800 Plus for $719.99, a savings of $180 (regular price $899.99).

A smarter way to mow

Read more
This Beatbot robotic pool cleaner gets all the leaves — 47% off for Prime Day
The Beatbot iSkim Ultra in the swimming pool.

Are you growing tired of gathering the leaves that are floating around in your swimming pool? Then you shouldn't miss this chance to get the Beatbot iSkim Ultra with a huge discount from Amazon's Prime Day. From $1,499 originally, it's on sale at 47% off for a lowered price of only $799. That $700 in savings are among the largest that you can get from the offers for Beatbot robotic pool cleaners during the shopping event -- act now and complete your purchase immediately to make sure that you get this device at nearly half-price.

BUY NOW

Read more