Your New Look/When Off-The-Rack Becomes Off-The-Net; Your Bionic Future; Scientific American Presents; by Gray; 4 Page(s)

MARIA SITS AT HER OFFICE DESK, her mind wandering to powdery Caribbean beaches and azure waters. Her boyfriend, Chris, has asked her to join him in Barbados for his company's Christmas party, but her busy schedule leaves no time to shop for just the right outfit.

Suddenly, she remembers the "smart" card she got at Harrow's, the department store, a few months earlier. The card contains an ultra-accurate three-dimensional digital image of her body, produced on the store's body scanner. The saleswoman said the scan would help them select the best-fitting garments off-the-rack.