NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwired) — 07/19/17 — , the technology company specializing in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision, today announced the beta launch of Halos, its Augmented Reality (AR) face profiles, which is available in the Blippar app. The launch of Halos builds on the company–s existing real-time facial recognition capabilities, which is one of the most accurate, lightweight and fast face recognition engines with over 99.67% accuracy*, based on single-model and single-patch method, and makes facial recognition technology directly accessible for smartphone users for the first time.
This new in-app feature, which follows the launch of Public Figures Facial Recognition in December 2016, will allow users to create and customize their own personal AR face profile and connect with other users by “blipping” (scanning) their faces either in person or through images. Halos users will have control of their own AR face profile and of the content they choose to upload and display.
In December 2016, Blippar first introduced real-time facial recognition with initially 70,000 public figures recognizable. The app can now recognize 370,000 public figures, which is the largest such repertoire in the world.
Blippar–s Facial Recognition APIs will also be available at request to companies wishing to license and integrate the technology into their own applications and/or products, from mobile banking transactions to smart networking and building access control.
Blippar–s AR face profiles showcase the company–s focus on and Computer Vision technology, which aims to change the way in which we interact with the world around us, helping us to access more information more quickly and to connect with new experiences.
Ambarish Mitra, Co-Founder & CEO at Blippar, says: “Our faces are our most unique and expressive form of communication. Through Halos, our AR face profiles, we are making the face accessible in digital format for the first time, providing an innovative and dynamic way of expressing ourselves and discovering more about those around you. The technology lends itself to many other forms of implementation, and we are delighted to be able to share our APIs and technology with other companies who, like us, are committed to spurring on innovation in their own industries.”
*This is the LFW face verification number, which stand for “Labeled Faces in the Wild”, a database of labeled face images intended for studying unconstrained face recognition and is commonly used to test/compare model accuracy.
Blippar–s AR face profiles, Halos, are available in beta to all users of the Blippar app. Blippar users can create and personalize their AR face profile, choosing to make their own face “blippable”. The user will then be able to choose which information they would like others to have access to, which is displayed through interactive AR “bubbles” around the face.
The beta launch of Halos will include the following bubbles with new features added over time:
Mood – Access library of personalities that animate in 3D when activated
Aura – Assign an aura filter
Look-alike – Match user faces to celebrity faces, alongside “look-alike” percentage
Moment – Add photos from user gallery
Song – Play song from Spotify
Tweet – Display latest Tweet
Video – Play YouTube video
As part of its facial recognition capabilities, faces of public figures are automatically discoverable with information compiled from Blipparsphere, the company–s visual knowledge graph which displays information from various external sources and was . Currently, users can view the profiles of more than 370,000 public figures by blipping them (scanning with the Blippar app) in person, on an image or in a video/movie. Soon public figures will also be able to create their own AR face profiles or modify their existing profiles. This is a powerful tool, enabling them to engage with their fans and communicate information that is important to them.
Blippar recognizes and respects the importance of privacy to individuals. Halos were therefore developed with three key pillars in mind: consent, choice and transparency. Halos users have control of their AR face profile and related content, they must opt-in in order to be discoverable and must be at least 16 years old. Blippar is transparent about its user information and communicates with users on how they can share and control that information.
Blippar is a leading technology company that specialises in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision, a cutting edge field within Artificial Intelligence (AI) that trains lenses to recognise and understand the world they see. By harnessing the power of its technology and data, Blippar–s mission is to be the bridge that brings the digital and physical worlds together, enhancing everyday life.
Since launching in the UK in 2011, Blippar–s technology has been used by world-leading brands such as PepsiCo, Porsche, Nestlé, L–Oréal, GSK, General Mills and Procter & Gamble to create exciting and award-winning experiences which deepen consumer engagement.
With a focus on its two core technologies, augmented reality and computer vision, Blippar has created a range of products that can be harnessed across a wide range of sectors. Blippar has been named on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list for three years running, most recently earlier this year. To learn more, visit and download the app which showcases the technology on (Available on iOS and Android).
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