A futuristic body scanner based on Xbox Kinect gaming technology went into service on Wednesday at a Bloomingdales store in Palo Alto, providing fashion advice to anyone brave enough to step inside.

It takes less than 10 seconds for the Bodymetrics scanner to build up a 3D model of a customer's body. Sixteen of the gaming sensors are installed around the inside edge of the scanner, and customers just need to walk in, press a button on a touchscreen and hold still.

The result of the scan is displayed to the customer on an iPad as a 3D mannequin that slowly rotates on the screen. Alongside is an evaluation of the customer's body shape, determined by the scanner. [.]

"Best asset is your small waist so make sure you emphasize it at every opportunity," read one of the lines on screen after a model demonstrating the unit was scanned on Wednesday morning. "Avoid wearing low to mid rise jeans as they will sit low on your waist making your torso look disproportionately longer than the rest of your body."

The system determines about 200 measurements, and a second tab brings those up, but that's only a step toward getting a well-fitting pair of jeans. An on-screen catalog guides the customer to the right jeans for their body shape.