Flick'r beware...The race to win in the image search space continues. Like.com, Tiltomo, and Xerox are already in the game, while Swedish upstart, Polar Rose, hopes they've got a winner on their hands.
Polar Rose has developed tag-free image search for faces in photographs."With an ordinary image, the computer only sees an assortment of pixels," Solem says, "so if you turn your head in a photo or change the lighting or other conditions, the computer won't recognize you."
How it works. The Malmö, Sweden-based company solves that problem with 3-D modeling technology that measures parameters such as the distance between the base of the nose and the top of the upper lip. The software also relies on statistical analyses its engineers have performed on hundreds of images to establish what head shape people with a given set of facial features are likely to have. The program generates a 3-D head model, factoring in angle, lighting and other variations between images. The technology should be available this spring as an extension for Internet Explorer and Firefox and as an API that developers can incorporate into photo sites.
Monetization. Despite their varied goals, visual-search companies have similar moneymaking strategies. Polar Rose is banking on advertising-related partnerships to generate cash flow. "A text box next to an online image might tell you, 'This is a photo of J. Lo. Would you like to buy her latest CD on iTunes?'" says Mikkel Thagaard, the company's vice president of business development.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/internet/0,72620-0.html?tw=wn_technology_internet_5
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