The allure of something that has the ability to reflect your mood: very high. (Mood rings, anyone?) But there's a futuristic machine that's landed in an Australian Uniqlo location that's pretty next-level, putting hue-shifting thermotropic liquid crystal-filled baubles to shame. Behold, the UMood.
To use the UMood, shoppers wear a headset that monitors brainwaves while sitting in front of a large screen that displays screensaver-esque images, like a rainstorm or cute kitten. The headset gathers information about mood based on five reaction factors to the imagery: by gauging how much each person likes the shots, how much they stress out, and if it can pique interest, maintain concentration, and induce sleep. Then, the UMood machine matches four T-shirts that it thinks are the best fit for the feels it recorded (out of 600 options). But it's not over yet: The machine then assesses reactions to the final four to pick the "perfect" T-shirt.
UMood's brainwave-sensor technology was created by Dentsu Sciencejam, a Japanese company. The machine started off in one Sydney Uniqlo outpost; it will then go on a grand tour of other Aussie locations. "We may well take it to other parts of the world if it's successful," Tracy Lang, Uniqlo Australia's marketing director, told Mashable Australia. Hopefully, that means a stateside pit stop in the near future.
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