Sure, mannequins are made of fiberglass, have an IQ of zero, and probably wouldn’t make a very interesting dinner date. But now, mannequins are taking one small step for all manne-kind.
The EyeSee Mannequin was displayed at the recent A.R.E Design conference we attended in NYC. The product, created by an Italian company called Almax, features a mannequin with pretty eyes. So pretty, in fact, that if you look close enough you can see a small camera inside the head. That’s right; these mannequins can see!
The software connected to the camera surveys people who are in the mannequin’s line of sight. It can measure age, race, and gender, all of which can be used as contextual and statistical info for marketing plans for the company.
More than just keeping track of time and number of people, this mannequin is really opening the doors for Orwellian technology. If you were hesitant and nervous about Big Brother before, you might as well just give up shopping. Kidding! If you have ever driven a car or used a cell phone then you have already experienced some form of data-collecting technology.
This type of device may seem overbearing and even a bit unnecessary, however there is no doubt that this design and software will open doors to hidden info-taking cameras in many different scenarios. And though these mannequins can’t analyze faces or emotions, the software is out there and in time it could be a possibility. Maybe one day they will talk and interact with you, but for now these mannequins will just be watching.
(Photo courtesy of techsmate.com)
Can’t afford these $5,000 mannequins? You can find out where your shoppers are going without them in this free shopper navigation guide.
