A US start-up called Orbeus claims it is taking its image recognition software to another level – way beyond rivals like Face.com.
Orbeus, founded by a few MIT and Boston University scientists, says its image recognition software is also able to identify the context and the people in digital photos.
This software could have huge implications in social networking, marketing and related image recognition industries.
“Computers can read like humans, but they can’t see like humans,” says Orbeus CEO and co-founder Xing Meng. “We help computers see better than humans.”
Orbeus is able to ‘mine’ a digital photo for all kinds of information. This can then be applied to an individual’s Facebook profile, for example. Orbeus will be able to scan the photos of a Facebook user, identify that they are into mountain biking, vintage cars and sushi (for example) and be able to tell Facebook to serve relevant ads.
The software could become very important as we move further into the age of the ‘visual’ web. Sites such as Pinterest show how people are moving their online social lives onto more visual platforms. Facebook, too, is increasingly investing in the visual and mobile web. It recently bought the image recognition firm Face.com.
Orbeus, as it develops, could soon be a start-up that becomes very appealing to those looking to further exploit the visual/mobile/social web (VMSW).
