Accenture through the looking glass

ICT consultancy Accenture, has announced the creation of a new application which enables users to forecast the visual effects of unhealthy eating over time.

The application, the “Persuasive Mirror” is the product of a research initiative by the company aimed at developing technologies that encourage people to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Developed at Accenture’s labs in France, the technology – embedded into a real mirror - uses two cameras placed on the sides of a flat-panel display and combines video streams from both cameras to obtain a realistic replication of a mirror reflection.

The mirror is fed information about the person’s activities - visits to the refrigerator, treadmill use, or time spent on the coach - from webcams and sensing devices placed around the house.

Software then analyses the data to determine how the monitored behaviour will influence future appearance.

The Persuasive Mirror can also be configured to accept other health-related data such as time spent in the sun, or information from a pedometer.

Jeannie Huang, assistant professor in residence at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), said the device would be used in the university’s upcoming research.

"We see great potential in using the technology available via the Persuasive Mirror not only to assess body image but also to determine how body image might be used to effect positive behavioural change," she said in a statement.