China’s Meitu develops AI-driven skin diagnosis machines for stores
Skin diagnosis machines set up in Chinese stores to attract beauty consumers now come with a multitude of functions. We took a closer look at these machines that are being installed in stores to help capture potential customers and are also being implemented in booths and apps to provide ways to try out skin diagnosis on a more casual basis.
The Chinese tech company Meitu, which announced in 2018 partnerships with the smartphone conglomerate Xiaomi and the firm TryTry (which operate an app that’s an online store for beauty products), is the developer of the AI-driven skin diagnosis machine MeituEve. The machine’s level of performance is touted as being so advanced it meets the requirements of sophisticated medical machines. Its designed to be installed in stores, such as in salons and the beauty counters at department stores, and to be used for customer service and beauty counseling.
Meitu’s app repertoire includes selfie-editing apps for smartphones, such as BeautyPlus, as well as smart mirrors, such as Magic Mirror. They also own the internationally-renowned research team of MTLab which develops its own original technology and algorithms that take advantage of their cultivated strengths in the fields of image recognition and image processing.
Compared to rival companies, MeituEve is said to irradiate more varieties of light rays and output more comprehensive analysis results, resulting in more accurate diagnoses. The machine also outstrips rivals in its 3-dimensional identification of facial outlines, skin problem detection capabilities, simple ‘one-click reports’, and its partnering with public hospitals.
You use MeituEve by placing your head in the device and closing your eyes while a photo is taken of your face. Five varieties of light rays irradiate out for 10 seconds each, including sunlight, UV-light, cross-polarized light, parallel polarized light, and Wood’s light, and the user is unable to feel any pain or heat. The results of the diagnosis are ready within 10 seconds of the picture being taken and these are shown in a report displayed on a PC. The results are conveyed through a ten-part framework that covers areas such as skin type, pores, and the status of freckles and darkened areas.
The machine is also able to recommend products based on the diagnosis results, and sales staff can use this data to communicate more persuasively with customers. Stores can even register product information and recommendation logic into the database beforehand, allowing these products to be displayed on the diagnosis results page as those that are a match for the customer’s skin. This also allows staff members who don’t yet have a thorough knowledge of products to be able to talk sales more easily.
Skin diagnosis machines that create opportunities for in-store experiences
One skin diagnosis machine that is designed to be used for customer service in stores is MEICET. Development started on the machine from 2015 by Shanghai Meicet Information Technology Co., Ltd., a company founded in 2000.
Another machine is Carehnb, developed by a company of the same name under its parent firm Shanghai AI Skin Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. Carehnb features a design where the diagnosis results are displayed on a big screen. The machines are made to be installed and used in stores, and its big display is sure to play a role in attracting customers.
There are also skin diagnosis machines set up in stores that can be freely tried out by customers. One of these is the smart mirror More Me, which specializes in skin diagnosis and is developed by DJM, a German company which operates locally in China.
In addition to these machines is the smartphone app MeituBeauty which provides users with a full service — from skin analysis all the way to product purchasing. Operated by partner company TryTry, MeituBeauty is an online beauty store platform that uses the technology of the above-mentioned Meitu to allow users to upload a selfie taken with their smartphone and immediately get the results of a skin status diagnosis. It also has an online store function, however, as it’s currently separate from the diagnosis functions products cannot yet be recommended based on the results.
A skin-measuring station looking to take up users’ free time
China also has unmanned skin diagnosis booths set up in places such as train stations. Branded as AI Skin, these booths are smart skin-measuring stations developed by the same parent company of the above-mentioned Carehnb, Shanghai AI Skin Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.
Inside the small AI Skin booths, which are about half the size of normal personal booths, are a hollowed-out part for taking pictures and a display screen. You input information via the display, such as your age and gender, then place your face inside the hollowed-out part to have several photos taken. Then, using WeChat, you scan the QR code that displays on the screen to see your skin analysis results. The price is 9.9 yuan (US$1.45) and the transaction is all done through WeChatPay.
AI Skin doesn’t feature product recommendations, instead, it concentrates on monetization just through skin diagnoses, and can be thought of as a way to kill time while in transit.
Two directions for skin diagnosis machines in China
After researching through China’s premier search engine Baidu, it seems that these kinds of AI-driven skin diagnosis machines began gradually appearing on the market in China from around 2017. While it’s still early days, these machines’ degree of progression in AI technology and the way they can easily link to data from medical institutions gives them an edge when compared to what’s currently on offer in the West and Japan, and their level of precision in skin analysis is also advanced.
Technically-speaking, it’s possible to design these machines to have a completely self-service format, where users take their photos, conduct a skin diagnosis, select out of the recommended products through a touch panel or their smartphone, and buy the products right there on the spot. We think skin diagnosis machines may develop along two tracks from here on: one as a sales tool for in-store use and another as a self-service machine.
Text: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese): Yoriko TAKIZAWA
