For real fashionistas, nothing beats the visceral thrill of shopping. While buying clothes online is ridiculously easy, it is no substitute for the real thing - you can't run your hands over a silk dress, say, or try it on for size.
Soon shoppers will be able to digitise the look and feel of clothes and share the details online, along with their emotional reactions. Such a network could even help design new clothes by letting consumers contribute their ideas to fashion designers.
"We're exploring different ways to represent different fabrics," says Sharon Baurley, who leads the project, dubbed Digital Sensoria.
Baurley and colleagues are developing apps for iPhones, iPads and other tablet computers that take advantage of touchscreens to portray fabrics in a slightly more realistic way.
These interactive fabrics, called Shoogles, are made using a process similar to stop-frame animation that creates the illusion of movement, so that users can stretch, rub or pinch materials as they would in real life - although you don't get the same feeling on your fingertips. People can also upload their own designs.
The project will also help retailers. "There has been significant interest from major retailers in exploring new methods and tools to enable them to get closer to their consumers and gain insight into perceptions of products," says Baurley.
She has recently begun collaborating with UK store Marks & Spencer on a project to help them crowdsource designs from their customers.
Efrat Tseëlon, who researches fashion at the University of Leeds, UK, thinks that people like to be involved in the process of shopping and consuming in all sorts of active ways, but digital tools are unlikely to replace the real thing altogether, for people have that need for physical connections, really touching and really sensing.


据《新科学家》7月13日报道，真正的时尚达人一直秉持着购物至上的理念。网上购物对他们来说虽然异常方便，但仍不能取代实体店购物，因为你无法感触丝绸衣物在手中滑动的感觉，并且也不能当场试穿。

但这一现状很快将会有所改观，消费者可以在网上观看衣物图片的同时感触衣服的手感，还能在线分享感受。这种网络服务甚至可以帮助服装设计师根据顾客反馈的想法来设计更贴切大众需求的服装。

"我们目前正在探索可以代表不同材质面料的各种动态表现方式，"有数字化感官大师之称的该项目负责人Sharon Baurley 说道。

Baurley和她的团队目前正在为iPhone手机、iPad和其他平板电脑开发应用程序，利用这些电子产品的触摸屏可以更真实地表现面料材质的触感。

这些可在网上互动的面料被称作Shoogles，制作过程类似于定格动画，使用户能够得到动态视觉体验，虽然我们的指尖不可能得到相同的触感，但顾客可以在电子设备上拉伸，摩挲或者捻捏这些面料，就像现场购物一样。同时，顾客还可以上传自己的设计。


这个项目对零售商业大有帮助。"各大零售商对此都表现出极大的兴趣，他们希望能够开发出新的方法和工具来拉进与顾客的距离，了解他们对产品的真实感受，" Baurley说道。

她近日刚同英国的马莎百货开展一个项目合作，来帮助他们了解顾客对产品设计的想法。


在英国利兹大学研究时装的Efrat Tseëlon表示，尽管人们喜欢以任何主动的方式参与到购物的过程，但通过数字工具的触摸完全代替真实的触摸是不现实的，因为人们有对衣物进行物理接触的需求，包括真正的触摸和感觉。

• thrill [θril] v.震惊；激动；刺激 (初中英语单词)
• substitute [´sʌbstitju:t] n.代理人 v.代替，取代 (初中英语单词)
• emotional [i´məuʃənəl] a.易动感情的；情感的 (初中英语单词)
• contribute [kən´tribju:t] v.贡献出；投稿；捐献 (初中英语单词)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)
• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)
• slightly [´slaitli] ad.轻微地；细长的 (初中英语单词)
• realistic [riə´listik] a.现实主义的；现实的 (初中英语单词)
• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
• enable [i´neibəl] vt.使能够；赋予权力 (初中英语单词)
• replace [ri´pleis] vt.放回；复置；取代 (初中英语单词)
• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)
• physical [´fizikəl] a.物质的；有形的 (初中英语单词)
• tablet [´tæblit] n.碑；牌；匾额 (高中英语单词)
• illusion [i´lu:ʒən] n.幻觉；幻影；错觉 (高中英语单词)
• significant [sig´nifikənt] a.重要的；意义重大的 (高中英语单词)
• network [´netwə:k] n.网状物 vt.联播 (英语四级单词)
• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
• portray [pɔ:´trei] v.画；描写；扮演 (英语六级单词)
• insight [´insait] n.洞悉；洞察力；见识 (英语六级单词)
• spencer [´spensə] n.(羊毛)短上衣 (英语六级单词)
• unlikely [ʌn´laikli] a.不像的；未必可能的 (英语六级单词)