Taking conspicuous consumption into the smartphone age, Microsoft has released a new app called Thinga.Me that will let you virtualize all of the junk you own so you can share it with anyone. In an intro video to the new app, Microsoft describes Thinga.Me as “a tool for sharing things, not photos.”

“Thinga.Me takes all of the cool physical things in your life and lets you create rich digital collections of them that you can share with others,” Microsoft explains in the video.

The app uses image segmentation technology to automatically cut out objects from pictures, creating realistic, virtualized versions of them that can be organized into a shelf-like collection system. The app’s creators suggest that it can be used for everything from archiving and sharing your children’s artwork to keeping track of the things you store in your basement. Some examples of collections on the Thinga.Me website also include Lego, Funko Pop figures, Japanese Dolls, and more.

While the app is supposed to be able to cut out your collectibles on its own, the Thinga.Me team notes that the process is not always perfect. They suggest placing the item you want to capture in front of a contrasting background with good lighting and to ensure that the object fills the frame of the photo you are taking. If all else fails, the app also allows you to manually edit the image to avoid accidentally cutting off parts of the object.

Thinga.Me was developed by the Human Experience & Design team in Microsoft’s Cambridge Research lab through the Microsoft Garage project, a sort of incubator for new app ideas. The app is currently available in a closed trial on iOS only, so if you want to try it out, you will need to sign up to request access.

Image courtesy of Microsoft Corp