Body Scanner at South Shore Plaza Cuts Through Clothing Size Complexity

For shoppers confused and frustrated by how sizes rarely line up between different clothing brands, a virtual solution has arrived in Braintree.

Earlier this year, the installed a body scan machine called Me-Ality that has received national media attention for its ability to quickly measure the contours of a fully-clothed shopper and generate a list of well-fitted merchandise from a variety of stores and brands.

"This is like your personal shopper," said Vicki Bartkiewicz, the mall's marketing director. "What woman wouldn't want a perfectly fitting jean?"

Me-Ality is free to use and involves a shopper providing basic registration information, like their email address and year of birth, followed by a 10-second body scan.

"The 'vertical wand' in the Me-Ality--Measured Reality body scanning booth contains 196 small antennas that send and receive low power radio waves," according to a company press release. "The signals are similar to, but have far less power (1/1000th) than a typical cell phone call. When the wand's rotation is complete, Me-Ality--Measured Reality has recorded over 200,000 points of measurement."

Next the customer goes to a computer where they can filter their results and print out a list of stores and brands that meet their size. Later, shoppers can create a personal profile on the company's website and shop online or in stores at their convenience.

For now, the device can match up jeans and pants for women and jeans for men, area manager Alicia Colcord said during a recent visit to the Plaza, but the company is also planning for other clothing like bras and motorcycle helmets, and is always expanding its number of partnered brands. Retailers and brands pay Me-Ality for being included in the database, but cannot pay to put themselves on a shopper's guide.

"Our matches and recommendations are made strictly based on what is the best fit for the customer," the release said.

The idea for the device came to Tanya Shaw, now President and CEO of Me-Ality and at the time a dress maker, because she was frustrated by the varying sizes that vendors used for their clothing, Colcord said.

Last year, the first Me-Ality was installed at the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, generating attention from the likes of Good Morning America, the Today Show and The New York Times. By the end of 2013, the goal is to have 400 devices around the country, Colcord said.