A crop of the 3-D, body-measuring devices are replacing outdated sizing paradigms, and they're making shopping for clothes that are inconsistently sized and unrealistically fitted a little less painful.

"These scanners are taking body measurements that are converted into patterns from which garments are cut," said apparel product development specialist Lenda Jo Connell from Auburn University.

"This saves a lot of time because, otherwise, it's a one-on-one, hands-on process," said Connell. "It lines up with mass customization and is one of the islands of technology … that are beginning to link together so that you can get scanned, and that information is used to produce a garment for one...

"Because the hourglass figure represents such a small percentage of American women, the larger the market share a retailer targets, the more likely it is to provide clothes based on the wrong body shape," said Janice Wang, CEO of Alvanon, parent of AlvaProducts...

"There’s no doubt that these scanners will become a part of the shopping experience," said Fabulous Fit author Judith Rasband, founder and CEO of Conselle Institute of Image Management. "It's a matter of how long it will take for retail owners to become acquainted with the technology and its application."