A virtual mirror or smart mirror is a device that displays a user's own image on a screen as if that screen were a

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...

. Some versions feature

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

additions to the video display, or use an entirely virtual graphical

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

of the user. Virtual mirrors are available as mobile phone applications, with some allowing users to modify the appearance of their hairstyle, make-up or accessories. The technology is also used in

online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the r ...

and in-store shopping to show people how an item of makeup, clothing, handbag or accessory might look on them. Some major retailers use the technology to provide

virtual dressing room A virtual dressing room (also often referred to as virtual fitting room and virtual changing room although they do, on examination, perform different functions) is the online equivalent of an in-store changing room. Having begun to emerge from ...

s to customers. These smart devices are used to enhance in-store experience, provide product information to customers and to display marketing and promotional messaging. Many color contact sites feature a similar virtual try-on environments to simulate the look a user will achieve when actually wearing the contact lenses.

Technology

Virtual mirrors usually utilize

computer vision Computer vision is an interdisciplinary scientific field that deals with how computers can gain high-level understanding from digital images or videos. From the perspective of engineering, it seeks to understand and automate tasks that the hum ...

, face detection and

face tracking Facial motion capture is the process of electronically converting the movements of a person's face into a digital database using cameras or laser scanners. This database may then be used to produce computer graphics (CG), computer animation for mo ...

technologies to analyze visual patterns and represent digital information. The technology uses algorithms to collect, analyze and make meaningful inferences from data from one or multiple images.

References

Mirrors Augmented reality applications {{Tech-stub