Amazon patent hints at augmented reality shopping for online users

Online marketplace Amazon is working to deploy augmented reality to give its customers a more personalised shopping experience, according to a recently discovered patent filed by the company.

The patent, based on an application filed in 2013, describes a system which would use augmented reality to a give a real-life feel as to how certain items will look on you. The technology uses 3D sensors to generate a cloud of data points to determine the exact position of a real-life object.

So, if you're willing to try some watch online, the AR technology will use the camera of your device to capture the position and orientation of your hand and superimpose a virtual image of the object. It will also collect lighting data to give a real-world feel of the object with reflection and finer details.

"The items may include jewelry, eyeglasses, watches, home furnishings, and so forth. Users who wish to purchase these physical items may find that the experience of purchasing is enhanced by more realistic presentations of the physical items on devices," the patent reads.

Until now, Amazon and other shopping places have been using one or more pictures to sell different items on the internet. But, as we all have seen, it is not necessary that an item which looks good on some model or looks good in images is also same in the real world.

The patented AR-based technology not only offers a better way to try certain items online, but also eliminates the traditional way of online selling where an item is shipped a user who judges its fit, appearance, and quality of delivery and decides whether or not to return it. Simply put, it will cut shipping costs and delays significantly.

As for the implementation of this system, there's no word from Amazon and there's no telling if AR-based technology will ever become a reality for shopping.