April 30, 2007

Genemation Applies 3D Face Synthesis Technology to the Mobile Content Form Factor

Liverpool, England - Genemation Ltd., a computer vision technology company licensing 3D face synthesis and 3D head character modelling tools to digital content artists, has announced advances in its patented facial computer vision technology for the mobile phone content sector. 
Real-time facial feature tracking technology will enable Genemation to create innovative, compelling, and revenue-generating solutions for image rights owners and brand marketeers in the mobile content, social networking, video game, and online sectors. Its face and feature tracking technology enables the capture and quick and automatic modification of faces. 
 
Entertaining or serious changes can be made to faces, and modified images can be forwarded to a variety of locations, e.g. a third-party phone, messaging locations, social networking Web sites, e-mail, or online networks.  
 
Genemation uses a server-side solution called GenMobile that requires no user input other than the taking of a photograph (no client software needed on handsets or other image capture devices). Once uploaded to the GenMobile server, the image processing takes seconds before being returned or forwarded. 
 
GenMobile can be scaled to handle large traffic volumes. Generic and customized server applications can be built to suit clients' requirements and integrated with other new media platforms to create unique and compelling services. Users of mobile phones (or other image capture device such as EyeToy and Web cams), social networking sites, and virtual online worlds are increasingly demanding control of content creation and personalization. 
 
Some of the fun and serious changes to faces that Genemation’s technology can produce are:  
 
-- The automatic placing of faces in other images, such as sporting events, movie scenes or current news events, or famous artwork
-- Superimposing a user face to replace a famous face
-- Adding face accessories: glasses, beard, moustache, scars, etc.
-- The cross breeding of a user's image with a third-party image to produce synthetic offspring
-- Faces can be aged or made younger
-- Ethnicity or gender changed
-- Face or feature morphing
-- A range of synthesised expressions/animations can be created automatically