Here at kooaba we are always keen on testing the boundaries of the current state-of-the art in image recognition. In cooperation with ETH Zurich we thus create prototypes of novel applications of our image recognition services.
One field of such applications is Augmented Reality. In a nutshell, augmented reality overlays digital information on the real world, e.g. as seen “through” the screen of a mobile phone. Recently several applications have appeared on the market, which rely on GPS and compass information to achieve the desired effect. However, these solutions have several shortcomings:
- it is difficult to select relevant data for display. Often elements that are not actually visible are labeled on the screen
- only stationary objects can be shown, i.e. objects which are bound to a fixed location, since the system relies on GPS in the first place
The combination with image recognition allows for overcoming these challenges. Thus, we asked Aleksander Slater, a Master Student at ETH, to implement an iPhone Augmented Reality system. It connects to our kooaba recognition system for media covers, as well as our landmark recognition engine developed recently at ETH. The result is shown in the video below:
Note how both (stationary) landmarks and (non stationary) media covers can be recognized and displayed on the screen. A click on the label leads to a page about related information. The recognized objects are stored in a history. (We have currently over 7 million media cover items in the kooaba database, and hundreds of thousands of landmarks in our landmark recognition prototype at ETH).
The next video shows the same concept (objects are replaced by pictures, since we didn’t have the Golden Gate Bridge in front of our house) and even combines it with OCR and translation capabilities.
This is all running on an iPhone already today, pretty much in real time (the video was recorded on the iPhone Emulator, just to get better quality). Let us know, if you would to have it on your device 
Impressive if it’s true, but I want to see it working on an iPhone first.
Sure, i’ll be happy to have such a thing!
are you willing to release also the source code? or just merely sell the application on the appstore?
Can you please send me this camea-application to install on my iPhone, i have iphone OS 3.0
farewell,
Hemant
Wow, that’s really cool!
Is it possible that I can test it for you?
I am journalist for the dutch iPhone blog: iPhoneclub.nl.
I will write a article about kooaba.
Please let me know.
“…Let us know, if you would to have it on your device.”
Yes, I would indeed like to have it on my iPhone, and promise to write about it, should you provide me a copy.
cheers,
Chris
It is actually funny how regular (well done) object recognition is nowadays sold as Augmented Reality.
We’ve seen these things for many years (not on phones though) and nobody had the strange idea to call this Augmented Reality…
It would be great if you could also describe on your web site and in your future YouTube videos the work you are doing with ISMAR 09 and to promote that people can go to ISMAR to see the Kooaba technology in action. Thanks! for those who are interested, go to http://www.ismar-society.org/ismar2009
Why are we holding phones up to our faces?? Video glasses! Its makes perfect sense to make them the standard in augmented reality viewing. I don’t want to walk around holding a phone to my eyes just to peer through a tiny screen. Video glasses should come with phones.
awesome ! Impressive !
when can I try it on my iphone ?
My brother and sister-in-law publish The Tribeca Trib. If you know New York, you know Tribeca. Your app would be perfect for walking around that neighborhood, and their content would be perfect as one source of “What am I looking at and what can you tell me about it?” They have a wide readership in Tribeca, and there would be, I think, a very willing community of knowledgable neighbors who could tag images and help build connections to the Trib’s database. I should point out that at present I’m not their official representative, just a kibbitzer who is very close to the people he is kibbitzing. (I’m sending them a copy of this.)
They are excited about your technology and their possible role in providing content for their neighborhood. They are not, however, as familiar with augmented reality as a concept, especially as you have so hugely enriched it, so I am starting the conversation for them, with no obligation on anyone’s part to go to the next step.
I look forward to hearing from you. Even if we conclude that it’s really too soon, that would not be a bad outcome, just not as much fun.
Cheers, BG
Where can one download this??