The Mirroria is already being utilized in domestic cosmetics stores, beauty salons, commercial facilities, and other locations. But what can be achieved by digitizing mirrors? This is the key question to be answered in developing this market.

AGC Inc. is intensifying its efforts to cultivate markets for its newly developed display-integrated mirror, the Mirroria®. The product has received positive feedback since its launch in November 2023, and AGC is now working to expand its market share further. In January 2025, the company commenced field testing of a new digital signage advertising business at the Shin-Marunouchi Building in collaboration with Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc. and JR East Marketing & Communications, Inc. (“JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku”).

In this initiative, the Mirroria has been installed in the restrooms on each floor occupied by Mitsubishi HC Capital and AGC, displaying advertisements along with weather and news information for employees. In the next phase, the three companies plan to recruit several advertising firms to assess the effectiveness of the advertisements shown on the mirrors and then develop new services based on the findings.

In the future, AGC will conduct feasibility studies based on the results of the field testing and will aim to launch a digital signage advertising service for office spaces by fiscal 2025. In addition, AGC will combine the resources of each company to develop a more efficient digital signage advertising service by linking advertisements appearing in office buildings, commercial facilities, and public transportation spaces across the Marunouchi area.

What exactly is the Mirroria display-integrated mirror? It is a mirror that features a built-in display, making it capable of showing both the mirror image and video content simultaneously. It thereby realizes an immersive experience that standard monitors or displays cannot offer. By projecting content while also reflecting their surroundings, Mirroria mirrors allow viewers to feel fully engaged with what they are watching.

Seeing the actual product at work looks like magic, but AGC has been developing this technology since around 2015. General Manager Naoki Ikeda from the Sales Development Department of the Market Development Group in the Japan General Division at Architectural Glass Asia Pacific Company commented as follows:

“We are proceeding with business incubation to develop new markets alongside our existing ones, which include glass and chemicals. In glass manufacturing, it goes without saying that extremely high quality is required. In particular, there is a technical trade-off between the quality of mirrors and the quality of images projected onto them. The Mirroria was developed by overcoming this challenge.”

The Mirroria has three main characteristics. The first is the ability to project digital content onto the mirror’s surface. Not only can it project images as they are, it can also realistically and intelligently present a variety of augmented reality (AR) content derived from data acquired via cameras and sensors. The Mirroria also boasts a high-resolution image display that is well-suited for mirror-image AR, making it an ideal choice for digital signage.

The second characteristic is its high reflectivity and display visibility. A display-integrated mirror requires both clear mirror images (reflectivity) that accurately reflect the user’s appearance and surrounding scenery as well as easily visible images (display visibility). Rumi Fujishiro, who is a marketing leader in the Sales Development Department of the Market Development Group in the Japan General Division at Architectural Glass Asia Pacific Company, clarified the concept.

“Reflectivity and display visibility are generally in a trade-off relationship,” she explained. “Increasing reflectivity can make projected content difficult to see, while improving visibility reduces reflectivity. The appeal of the Mirroria lies in its ability to achieve both sufficient reflectivity as a mirror and easy-to-see display visibility. This dual capability is made possible through AGC’s proprietary optical design technology.”

The third feature is the mirror’s ability to accommodate large sizes. It supports a wide range of dimensions, from full-length mirrors to tabletop sizes, enabling the realization of various types of content. For example, it can project life-size 3D characters and accommodate large-scale installations depending on the location. Additionally, its high-efficiency optical design minimizes power consumption and exhaust heat, making it suitable for use in compact spaces.

The Mirroria display-integrated mirror is now available in three sizes: large, medium, and small, with custom sizes also offered. So are there any specific application cases for this product? Ms. Fujishiro provided some examples.

“For instance, the Mirroria can be utilized in offices to monitor the faces and health of people who pass through the entrance,” she explained. “In public transportation, it can display information such as destination details and incident or delay updates. In commercial facilities, it is expected to provide in-facility guidance, offer shop and restaurant recommendations, and even offer cosmetics and fashion advice in stores. Additionally, it is expected to be used for customer service in hotels and providing information in guest rooms.”

The Mirroria is already in use at cosmetics stores, beauty salons, and commercial facilities in Japan. According to Ms. Fujishiro, “Beauty salons utilize Mirroria mirrors to facilitate visual communication during consultations. They also use it as a platform to record customer requests at the appointment stage and subsequently perform AI analysis based on that data. Additionally, it is being implemented in drugstores, cosmetics stores, and security companies.”

While it is currently the subject of many inquiries, the key to developing the market will be to further clarify what digitized mirrors can be used to achieve. “The Mirroria is hardware, so it must be used with software,” observed Ms. Fujishiro. “Collaborating with business partners is also essential for transforming it into a service. We would be delighted to collaborate with any Mitsubishi Group company. We hope that the Mirroria will be utilized in various settings, such as commercial facilities and offices, and that in the future every household will have a Mirroria device.”