Interactive Magic Mirror at the New York Times

We have seen our fair share of interactive mirrors in the past (including an augmented reality one), but this particular model hails from the research & development lab at the New York Times that brings about a page from the future. This mirror is special as it not only helps you avoid getting nicks whenever you shave, but it is also capable of sending different kinds of media content to your eyes whenever stand in front of it. It is speculated that a Philips Mirror TV is in use here, where it is connected to a Microsoft Kinect sensor which is located right on top of the mirror.

Relying on both voice recognition and motion sensing from the Kinect, the Mirror TV will let you check out what are the big ticket news items featured on the New York Times that day, while allowing you to view the calendar for your appointments, peruse through a burgeoning inbox, and even remain up to speed with the latest Facebook and Twitter updates. Apart from that, you will also be able to know just what the weather is like for the day – although sometimes such predictions aren’t too accurate due to global warming that throws our weather all out of whack.

The mirror can also scan RFID tags in order to retrieve further information concerning a sample product. When used for online clothes shopping as you can see above, the mirror relies on the Kinect camera to scan an image of your body type, so that different clothing items can be overlaid on your body before you actually make a purchase decision.

This remains a prototype as at press time, but it goes to show just how far the Kinect system can be implemented in everyday life.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: mirror, new york times