A British company has developed a 'smart' changing room that tells clothes shoppers what not to wear.

　　The QinetiQ system uses 3D digital cameras which not only take pictures but also record precise measurements from more than 1,000 points on an object. Installed in a changing room, an array of about six cameras would feed data to a computer running software that matches particular styles to individual body shapes.The inventors say it could provide advice like "your bum looks too big in this" - or words to that effect.

　　One big attraction of the system is its cheapness. If mass produced, the cameras could cost as little as￡30 each. In contrast, existing laser scanning equipment that does a similar job costs more than￡20,000. It is also bulky, slow, and only able to manage objects of limited size.

　　QinetiQ says another possible application could be security and access control - looking for minute details that distinguish a person's facial features. It could even tell the difference between a pair of "identical" twins.