Today I came across a neat computer-vision based installation/game that was presented at the FILE 2008 expo in Brazil. The company that put this together, Colmeia, is an interactive production company that creates digital installations for advertising. The game involves using one’s silhouette, reprojected as dark blobs, to block out certain parts on a screen.
We wrote a couple of weeks ago about Float4, a Montreal-based company also working on interactive display installations. I am hopeful that what we are observing is the beginning of a trend, and that in the next couple of years we will see a rising number of computer vision applications in advertising. This is certainly a trend that we will be following closely on ENLIGHTEN3D.
Spies rejoice! Computer vision scientists at UC San Diego have devised a way to create a duplicate of a key using a only one digital photo, apparently taken in normal conditions.
By identifying a few “key” points (lame pun intended) in the photograph, the researchers are able to extract all the information required by a locksmith to make a copy of that key. So, to all our loyal readers in the secret agent and espionage professions, send this report to your R&D department today and get this mildly amusing incredibly practical technology out of the labs!
The folks over at the Orkut blog announced a few days ago a new filter for their social network that can screen out “sexually suggestive phrases or images”. However, no detail has been published (to my knowledge) on exactly how they filter out these images, whether they use text-based clues or somehow incorporate computer vision to detect the content of photos. Until they respond to my e-mail I cannot say for sure, but my guess is that they are using only a text-based filter like the one used for Google Images SafeSearch. If this is the case, I doubt it will be as effective on a social network where there are far fewer textual clues to put an image in context than there are on, say, a pornography web site.
Regardless of whether Orkut is using it or not, it is only a matter of time before computer vision techniques drive the next wave of “safe content” filtering. As we discussed a few weeks ago, VideoSurf, the video search engine, has already introduced an image/video-based filter. Once one major player in search adopts computer vision for content filtering, their competitors will have a strong incentive to follow or risk being seen as the “unsafe” search engine. Whether or not Google started the trend with Orkut this week, it’s only a matter of time until this application of computer vision hits the mainstream.
The New York Times, that is. In what can only be perceived as the deepest form of flattery, last week the NY Times wrote a full length article on the “beautification algorithm”; the exact same paper that we wrote about 2 months ago. Personally, I was excited to see a major mainstream publication taking an interest in computer vision, and I hope that our field continues to push into the thoughts of those who are not working directly in it.
Most folks that I encounter who aren’t working directly in computer vision or computer science are unfamiliar with the field entirely, and, more importantly, are unaware of the amazing things that can and are being done with computer vision today. In my own experience, some of the best ideas come from those who are not the scientists directly doing the research, but who are working on something completely different yet see the potential of the research in their own, seemingly unrelated, application. So, New York Times, show the potential of computer vision to the world! And any time you need inspiration for an article, we will be flattered if you come check by ENLIGHTEN3D.
In the last month, Josh and I have had the opportunity to meet with several companies on the cutting edge of the computer vision and graphics field. First, we sat down at SIGGRAPH with the team leaders on Intel’s Larrabee project (the topic of a future post). More recently, we talked to Videosurf CTO Eitan Sharon, our pick for top company presenting at the TechCrunch50 conference two weeks ago. Last week, we got to chat with the founders of a local startup, Float4 Interactive, a Montreal start-up, who is turning image processing and computer vision techniques into an interactive art form.
Although Float4’s custom software technology works with cheap cameras (e.g. eyeToy) and regular screens, the effects are most impressive when displayed life-size using a back-projected display and two high-performance cameras. They provide turn-key solutions and even rent the hardware for special events, such as extravagant wedding ceremonies, industry expositions, and advertising installations.
Applications and clients.
Other companies experiment similar technologies — I remember seeing some at SIGGRAPH – but Float4 has raised the bar in interactivity, robustness and aesthetic quality.
Here are a couple examples of the applications of their current technology:
Move your body to create unique animations (such as juggling a soccer ball)
Experience the joy of flying like an airplane or a bird, by shifting or waving your arms.
Already, the company has attracted attention from notable clients such as the Cirque du Soleil. Despite our best efforts to pry it out of them, the Float4 folks are staying quiet on exactly what kind of display they’re building for the Cirque. Personally, I’m excited to see how this state-of-the-art graphical technology gets integrated into what is already a visually astounding performance.
