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Cellphone App Developed that Could Allow For 'Pocket Supercomputers'
Jack Spine writes "A robotics researcher at Accenture has given a demonstration of a 'Pocket Supercomputer' — a phone behaving like a thin client. It can be used to send images and video of objects in real time to a server where they can be identified and linked to relevant information, which can then be sent back to the user. 'The camera on the phone is used to take a video of an object — such as a book ... By offloading the processing from a mobile device onto a server, there are few limits on the size and processing power available to be used for the storage and search of images.' To pinpoint the features necessary to identify an object, the image is run through an algorithm called Scale-Invariant Feature Transform, or SIFT, a technology developed by academic David Lowe. The software extracts feature points from a jpeg and makes a match against images in the database. If a match exists then the software on the server retrieves information and sends it back to the user's phone. A 'three-dimensional' image of an object can also be uploaded onto the phone, to look at the virtual object from different angles. The motion-tracking technology Accenture uses for this is a free library of algorithms called Open Computer Vision."
All boobies examined with the low quality phone cam will resemble Lara Croft.
Hell, it might make the same distinction if you take a picture of some melons.
liqbase
By offloading the processing from a mobile device onto a server, there are few limits on the size and processing power available to be used for the storage and search of images
That's like saying my TV set at home can be called a miniature television studio.
Mods please erase above comment. Link goes to site with hostile javascript, images.
Wasn't there a segment on NPR about a cellphone with an integrated 'reader' that did OCR on pictures taken with your cell phone? I could definately see OCR as something that you would want to offload to a server, potentially one designed just for that.
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We really need to stop throwing the supercomputer term around. How do you really define supercomputer? Is it based on number of calcs per second it can do? Size? Hell, my PSP has more power in it than room-filling monstrosities from the 50's...
Living With a Nerd
While this sounds cool, it interests me more because of the fact that the Open Computer Vision algorithms are open sourced and in this case by Intel's research groups. While I might prefer if another microprocessor company was more dominant, there are some areas where Intel's interests diverge from the unholy Wintel alliance, and in these areas they do some really good stuff.
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Something sort of similar already seen in Japan. Look in any Japanese magazine, and in almost every add you will find a 2D square barcode. Point your cell phone camera at it, and it will look up the information. Basically, it is just a URL, but it is a standard thing over there. Really nice.
It's just a thin client on a mobile phone, and not an especially interesting one. They use SIFT, so they don't stand a chance in hell of doing anything useful on the phone. There are other, modern, much more lightweight ways of identifying features. It would be more interesting performing as much processing on the phone as possible (for instance to reduce bandwidth and/or latency).
Other than that, it's a neat hack.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code
"A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The "QR" is derived from "Quick Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. QR Codes are common in Japan where they are currently the most popular type of two dimensional code.
Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context spanning both commercial tracking applications as well as convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users. QR Codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any object that a user might need information about. A user having a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL."
But, in the good 'ol US of A, many stores would KICK OUT patrons who openly comparison shop. In Japan, it's the norm, otherwise QR would have flopped, I think. Even on the street, I was handed adverts having QR codes on them. Makes life a HELLUVA lot nicer to not have to type in or use a search engine when a QR will do either, and quickly.
More URLs:
QR-Code Generator:
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED
http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/index-e.html
But, even USPS & UPS and such entities use them, too, seemingly to replace get around damaged bar codes. IIRC, QR Codes are multiply (plee) redundant, so damaging part of it still does not prevent extraction of information.
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Sure! From the wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_detection (not a great article, but a good place to start): the best bet is the FAST corner detector. Also on the wikipedia page, there's Trajkovic and Headly with their paper "called fast corner detection", which is different from FAST corner detection". It's very similar, so it might be as fast if it used the same tricks. There's also the venerable SUSAN detector which is somewhat older and slower, but still one of the quicker ones.
The wiki page is a good place to start because it has links to publically available versions of most of the papers, so it you want to read further, I suggest downloading a recent paper and playing the reference chasing game. The wikipedia page also has links to reference implementations.
SJW n. One who posts facts.