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| (Material for press release) |
December 13, 2005
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company
SEGA Corporation |
Starting of a joint experiment on Object Recognition Technology, which enables the combination of 2D/3D objects in the real world and services on the Internet |
| - Contents can be downloaded by photographing SEGA's main
characters using cell-phone camera - |
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co. (hereinafter NTT,
Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Norio Wada) and
SEGA Corporation
(hereinafter SEGA, Ohta Ward, Tokyo, President and COO: Hisao Oguchi) start today
an joint experiment that utilizes the object recognition technology of the NTT
laboratory, a technology that gives hyperlink function (Notes 1) to plane patterns (trademarks, signboards,
posters, etc.) as well as to solid things (commodities, etc.) that exist in the
real world, and enables the combination with the various services on the Internet.
The Object Recognition Technology utilized in this experiment is a technology
developed by the NTT Cyber Communications Laboratory. In this experiment, it
will be verified that the technology is effective not only for the plane patterns
but also for the solid things. NTT will conduct a verification of business applications
through this joint experiment, while SEGA will examine the development of new
contents that use the technology.
This joint experiment can be experienced at "NTT Group Communications EXPO" held
from December 20th to 22nd, 2005 (Tokyo International Forum)http://www.ntt.co.jp/expo2005/ and
at the OCN site <<Get by cell phone!>>http://www.ocn.ne.jp/expo2005/ninshiki/ by
people at large. This event, where people at large can experience the service
that combines a solid thing in the real world, which is recognized by the camera
cell-phone, with the contents on the Net, will be the first one in the world. |
1. Purpose of the experiment |
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Before this experiment, the NTT Cyber Communications
Laboratory and SEGA implemented a preliminary experiment at the Super Song Show "New
Blue Bird" (executed from August 13th - August 20th of 2005), whose theme
was "SAKURA TAISEN" (game's title), based on the printed materials
like handbills distributed to the visitors, posters in the halls, etc., and its
technological characteristics were verified. This time we will take pictures
of 3D figures, etc., so that we can check if the technology enables us to add
the hyperlink function to the solid things even without giving them IDs, bar
codes, frames, etc., and accordingly the effectiveness and the practicality of
the technology will be evaluated. |
2. Outline of the experiment, etc. |
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(1) Outline |
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We will offer a service in which a user can access to a site
dedicated to the cellular phone, such as the sites of "SAKURA TAISEN KEITAICLUB", "SONIC
CAFE", "MUSHIKING.com", etc., by taking a picture of SEGA's solid
figures, such as "SAKURA TAISEN", "Sonic The Hedgehog", and "The
King of Beetles MUSHIKING", or a picture of a plane image displayed on a
monitor screen of a Web site for a personal computer. (See attached Appendix
1) |
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(2) Points of the technology used |
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The pre-processing of an object to be recognized is unnecessary. |
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A solid thing can be recognized. |
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The recognition level is less susceptible to the photograph environment (high
tolerance to a change in the lighting, complicated background, and concealment) |
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The Object Recognition Technology is a technology, which statistically studies
how an object is seen from all the directions, registers the feature of the data
in the object dictionary, compares an image data of the photographed object with
the data in the dictionary while its clipping size and position are changed,
and recognizes the targeted object. We have been developing this technology for
practical use, which is less susceptible to the photograph environment, e.g.,
quick response to a change in the lighting, partial concealment of an object,
dealing with the complicated background, etc., by making an improvement in the
extraction of the characteristic data and the study method. (See attached Appendix
2)
As for the technology that gives the hyperlink function to an object in the real
world, there are coding technologies like plane bar codes, electronic watermark
technology to imprint data on printed material, etc., or image recognition technology
to deal with plane objects, etc., but they have some restrictions, e.g., it is
necessary to print the frame beforehand that provides for a code pattern or a
range of a photograph. In contrast, this object recognition technology doesn't
need to process an object itself beforehand, and has a big merit that it can
transact even a solid thing. |
3. Specific scenes where the technology is used |
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This technology, which easily gives the hyperlink
function to an object in the real world and realizes the combination between
the object and the services on the Net, can be used in a wide range of fields.
Various 2D/3D objects existing in the living space will become the entrance toward
the abundant services on the Net, e.g., a contents offering service that gives
an additional value to a solid figure as explained in this experiment, a sales
promotion service where a premium can be gotten when a picture of the commodity
package is taken and applied for, an information offering service where you can
obtain the information on a company when you take a picture of its brand mark
on the street, etc. (See attached Appendix 3) |
4. Development in the future |
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This joint experiment is a project that utilizes
the Integrated Production Function (Notes 2), in which NTT's
research results will be put into a business operation based on cooperation with
the enterprises inside and outside of the NTT Group. NTT will promote the full-scale
development of the business that will use this object recognition technology
as well as the related electronic watermark technology for still/moving pictures
while positioning these technologies as a tool to realize the various services
in all the places by connecting objects like printed matters, shaped articles,
etc. in the real world with the information and the services on the network.
In addition, SEGA will examine new contents development that makes the best use
of these technologies. |
<Reference>Information on experience of this technology for the
public |
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(1)NTT Group Communication EXPO |
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| -Date |
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December 20 to 22, 2005
(From 11AM to 8PM, Only until 6PM on the
last day) |
| -Place |
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Tokyo International Forum
"Future Square" "Tsudou" Zone |
| -Detail |
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NTT Group Communication EXPO official site
http://www.ntt.co.jp/expo2005/ |
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(2)OCN site<<Get by cell-phone!>> |
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<<Notes>> |
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1) Hyperlink function |
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Hyperlink function means the function which jumps to other content
and connects with it by clicking a part of contents displayed on the screen.
This technology to recognize an object can associate objects in the real world
with contents and services on the network. |
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2) Overall produce function |
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Overall produce function means the approach in which the producer
designated as a person in charge of getting in operation directly promotes developing
excellent findings of research and development of NTT Group into business in
cooperation with companies both within and outside NTT Group. It stated in July
2003. NTT continues to promote developing various findings of research and development
into business widely through overall produce function. |
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- Appendix 1 Image of joint experiment
- Appendix 2 Characterized by being less susceptible to the shooting environment
- Appendix 3 Envisioned usage scene
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[Inquiry about this case]
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company
R&D Strategy Department
Kamimura
Telephone number:03-5205-5824
e-mail obj@hco.ntt.co.jp |
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Copyright (c) 2005 Nippon telegraph and telephone corporation |
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