Age and Gender marketing scanner
NEC Corp.’s digital ad displays are in the process to being able to figure out your age and gender to advertise more effectively and efficiently. NEC sells flat-panel monitors that display ads, generally found in stores, airports and other greatly trafficked public areas. It also provides the software to handle and dispense advertising content to those screens, sold to retailers that want to put up kiosks or companies that run a network of public ad displays.
NEC takes a snapshot of a person and a program automatically scans each person’s face calculating the person’s rough age and gender. Up and till now the program is not perfect, but it can place a person within a 10 year range. The program uses an algorithm draws upon a database of thousands of faces as a reference. The program looks at unique points of the face, from the shape of the ears and eyes to hair color, to determine the age.
The original technology is from Japan, where it is easier to implement because Japanese physical traits. For the U.S. and European markets, it would be more difficult to process due to the diverse population.
