New Jersey Patent of the Month – April 2021
Smart mirrors have become an object of interest in recent years, helping you by providing the morning news or schedule while you get ready and brush your teeth. Conopco, Inc. has decided to take this a step further and design an augmented mirror that is capable of helping you perform everyday tasks such as makeup and styling hair. They designed a mirror capable of interacting with the user which could be expanded to many applications.
Their augmented mirror is made of a silverd, mirror surface with a display screen beneath it. Behind the mirror there is also a camera module with a depth scanner and a computer module. They configured the system to locate the users eyes using imaging from the camera, determine position in 3D coordinates and identify and locate any objects of interest. This information is all converted into 2D coordinates and displayed on the display screen. The partially silvered mirror allows the display screen below to be seen if the brightness is high enough.
The user can interact with the mirror by swiping or selecting graphics similarly to a smartphone. The mirror would not have touch sensitivities and would rather have you hover your hand over the button. The camera registers this hovering motion and registers that you are “tapping” that icon. The augmented mirror was designed with a machine learning algorithm set to recognize fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG) such as toothbrushes or face creams. The mirror can be programmed to have responses to certain FCMG – whether it is a response you set up or the company. For instance, registering your skin care products could pull up information about them, or could pull up your personalized skin care routine so you don’t miss a step. The mirror could also analyze your image and recommend products that would benefit you. The applications are endless, with potential for use in retail settings such as hair salons. Conopco has opened the world to new possibilities with the augmented mirror.
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