We make people digital

ECOmmerce: Effective reduction of the impact on the environment through the digitalization of the value chain between manufacturer, retailer and end customer in the online clothing trade.

Compared to stationary retail outlets and catalog sales, the proportion of clothing sold via the Internet is constantly increasing. Depending on the product group, the return rate in online retail in the clothing industry currently ranges between 25 and 50 percent. Individualized transport from and to the customer, plus services involving intensive processing all the way to the destruction of the product must be carried out, if the garment has been soiled, for instance. With return rates of up to 50% in individual segments, this online trading issue is a key environmental problem that must be solved.
The goal of ECOmmerce is to reduce the impact on the environment by reducing the number of returns in the online clothing trade, by supporting customers with their online selection of suitable sizes and garments based on simulation and visualization technologies – and also addressing individual wearing preferences. This approach can be extended to achieve customer-specific and optimized preselection, reducing the online trade returns rate in by up to 50%.
ECOmmerce is a joint project with the German Denkendorf Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) and Assyst GmbH. The project is funded by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU)

SmartScarCare: Individualized 3D compression textiles for scar therapy

In 2014, 1,843 treatments for burns victims were registered in Germany – 40,000 were documented in the USA. Children aged 0 to 10 are the main risk group for burn injuries (around 44%), followed by men aged 20 to 50 who suffer burn injuries at work. In the prevention and treatment of the resulting skin injuries (scars), compression therapy using medical compression textiles is meanwhile state-of-the-art, but these textiles are currently only established in standardized sizes. The production of individualized medical compression textiles is currently done manually and is extremely time-consuming and costly as a result.
In order to improve the care of burn patients and minimize scarring, this present project aims to investigate compression textiles (“burn garments”) which can be produced industrially, and which are individualized in terms of size & fit, compression, pore structure and microclimatisation, based on the burn victim’s 3D scan information. Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

Retail 4.0: Virtual Retailer Feedback and Augmented Shopping as a knowledge-intensive, digital service in the development and sales process

The aim of the Retail 4.0 research project is to develop a modular, scalable software solution that will enable the textile and clothing industry retail trade to promptly pass on collection development feedback to the manufacturer and directly involve the customer on the basis of a new, digital shopping experience.
A VR/AR application with a cloud connection is being developed to achieve this goal. The application also supports mobile devices and is based on a solution for 3D simulation and visualization which is in use today. Innovative processes for communication between the retailer and the manufacturer are being designed and implemented to this end. Methods for efficient feedback from the end customer to the manufacturer are integrated if the collection is to be made available at Point-of-Sale1 (POS), so virtual products can be used by the end customer for communication in social networks. The prototypical implementation of the solution takes place in the development center of the project-accompanying manufacturer, carried out together with selected retailers. After completion of the research project, the results flow into the development and marketing of an innovative software solution for use in research and teaching, and for end customers, retailers and manufacturers. Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

iMtm – The development and implementation of methods and procedures for generating test populations as a basis for automated virtual size & fit control, with reference to 3D body scans for use in customized clothing production.

The goal of the project is the development and realization of methods and procedures for the provision of customer-specific test populations. These populations, related to body type variants, individual postures and the typical target group definitions (such as age, gender etc.) represent the target group of the individual provider of made-to-measure clothing for the process chain of automated virtual sizing & fitting analysis for MtM clothing.

The basic concept here is that a large number of case studies can be automatically prepared in such a way that they can be run through automatically on the basis of these test populations. At the same time, the linking of the 1D and 3D data of the individual body supplied by the 3D body scanner with the underlying pattern construction will be taken into account. The aim of this process is to reduce the time required for parameter validation and to sustainably avoid manual intervention in the automated process chain for the production of MtM garments.

Coupling this process with the existing system solutions for CAD will result in a considerable amount of added value for the user as the central component of a complete MtM solution. iMtm is a ZIM cooperation project with the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

FASHION–ABLE: Agile and eco-efficient production of individualized clothing, shoes and orthoses,

to promote the health and performance of diabetics (shoes), wheelchair users (clothing) and people with musculoskeletal complaints (orthoses), totaling around 75 million people EU-wide. Simple transfer to other products is assured. The project is funded by the EU within the 7^th Framework Programme. We are one of 14 international project partners – www.fashionable-project.eu

EUROFIT: Integration, homogenization and application extension for anthropometric data in large EU pools

The vision behind EUROFIT is to exploit the enormous potential of 3D body dimension databases for the European consumer goods industry. The goal is therefore to create an online platform that enables designers and entrepreneurs to easily integrate globally-available 3D body shape data into their product development processes. The R&D work focuses on methods for 3D body shape analysis and generation, industry-specific applications and user-friendly interfaces. The project with six international partners is financed by the EU within the 7^th Research Framework Program – www.eurofit-project.eu

iFit – Automated sizing & fitting evaluation for virtual fitting as part of collection development and online clothing purchasing, based on objectively measurable parameters and topological phenomena

The aim of the iFIT project is the automated evaluation of the overall size & fit and individual sizing & fitting-relevant areas of clothing using a software tool and taking objectively measurable parameters into account. To date, size & fit can only be determined by experts through individual visual assessment – and it is not objectively reproducible. No uniform evaluation model exists. Testing the size & fit of a garment is therefore a complex and cost-intensive process in the value chain. iFit is a ZIM cooperation project with the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF): Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

MetSScan – Development of new methods and procedures for the risk prognosis of metabolic disorders of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), by means of acquiring whole and partial body volumes from 3D body scans.

Obesity is associated with morbidity and mortality risk. It accounts for 3.1-5.5% of annual health care costs and is a key criterion of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), the prevalence of which is estimated at 19.8%. In medical practice today, anthropometric measurements are acquired manually, but this procedure is error-prone and time-consuming. Potential risk markers, such as whole and (especially abdominal) partial body volumes, are not being sufficiently addressed. Within the scope of the project, whole and partial body volumes from 3D body scans and standardized, practical procedures will be developed and realized. Their association with metabolic conditions and the ability to improve the detection of high-risk metabolic syndrome patients will be researched, with the ultimate aim of developing a risk model. The medical and anthropometric parameters acquired will form the basis for the optimization and validation of the risk prediction model. Following the successful completion of the project, the reliable acquisition of key anthropometric data will provide a practical solution for risk assessment – and more effective patient care as a result. MetSScan is a ZIM cooperation project with the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

EASY-INT – Integration of body dimension data into an international body dimension portal to optimize the use of the data in product development.

EASY-INT includes a highly automated interface for the integration and use of national anthropometric serial measurements projects and adherence to statistical quality characteristics. The goal is a high degree of compatibility, comparability and combinability of the data. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

iMorph – CBR-based analysis and classification of morphotypes as a basis for the development and optimization of sizing & fitting, and for economic and market-relevant collection design in the apparel industry

Individual characteristics of body shapes in humans (morphotypes) have a decisive influence on the size & fit of clothing and consequently on the economic success of apparel companies. Today, morphotypes can only be determined by experts through individual visual evaluation – and they cannot be reproduced. A uniform classification scheme does not exist yet – we only have different approaches with varying evaluation criteria. The aim of this project is automated morphological classification for individuals by means of a case-based system, and the integration of the classification in the iSize international body data portal. iMorph is a ZIM cooperation project with the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF). Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

EASY-SCAN3D – Development and implementation of an inexpensive 3D full body scanner

This is achieved by developing new methods and procedures for the completion of 3D body scans with only two scanning columns. Data extrapolation performed by software reconstructs the areas undetected by sensors, enabling a complete body scan to be generated in accordance with user requirements. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

AVANTI3D – Fast creation of 3D avatars from body scans

Thanks to the direct generation of avatars based on body shape statistics, we are offering a completely new approach to 3D bodyscanning databases and contributing to the further virtualization of product development processes based on statistically-secured average body shapes. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament. More information can be found in the successful example of the “Central Innovation Program for SMEs” (ZIM).

SCANValue – Calculating derived characteristic parameters of the body

These parameters encompass total body fat, body surface, and body density for sports science and medicine. In the past, these values could only be acquired with additional and measurement techniques that were often extremely elaborate. Now they can be derived directly from 3D body scans and used effectively. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology based on a resolution of the German Parliament.

MALDI-AMK – The acquisition and analysis of the protein spectrum of organs or disease-related damage, using 3D-MALDI technology

This project has two objectives – to facilitate the assessment of the course of diseases, in tumor patients, for example and to visualize the distribution of active substances when drugs are used. Human Solutions provides the user interface for the effective integration of 3D-MALDI in clinical environments and pharmaceutical research. We are one of six national project partners. Sponsored by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Molecular Imaging Technology Initiative MoBiTech.