Omron’s Okao Vision Takes A Guess At Your Age

[CEATEC 2013] Machine vision is an idea that certainly has its fair share of practical applications, especially in the manufacturing lines of factories which are able to spot flaws, even minute ones, that the average human eye is unable to do so. Combine the fact that such high level precision works without getting tired or suffer from drowsiness, and you’ve got quite a winner here. Are there any other practical applications in the real world that machine vision can be applied? Omron has showcased their Okao Vision system which as you can see in the image above, saw some doe-eyed folks staring at a camera which will then identify the person’s face, making the relevant analysis before revealing one’s possible age based on a best guess basis.

How will this particular system help the human race? Retailers, for one, will definitely be more than interested in checking it out. Imagine combining this technology with Pioneer’s transparent display concept. First, a shopper will get enthralled by the presentation on the transparent display, and that will give the Okao Vision system the chance to identify the face and possible age (and who knows, even gender?) of the passing shopper before it informs the main system to project an ad that will appeal the most to that particular age group.

Alternatively, how about including one of those body temperature readers that we see at airport immigration checkpoints? That would be able to help the authorities detect someone of a particular age group and maybe even gender if they are on a security alert. So far, the system did seem to be able to capture the person’s face if there is very little movement involved, so a briskly walking target might prove to be a challenge that needs to be overcome.

Of course, this is just the beginning, and I am not quite sure just how many faces can the Omron Okao Vision system take in at once, but it is neat to see it in action, and hopefully in the future, it will be able to do far more than this other than just taking a stab at someone’s edge.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: CEATEC, ceatec 2013, omron