Israeli Device Creates a Personal Contact List Using Face Recognition

March 20, 2019

by: Kate Norman

Imagine you’re at the office for a business meeting. A VIP walks in, sees you and starts walking toward you. You recognize the person, but you can’t put a name to the face. Your mind goes blank.

Israeli company OrCam created a product called MyMe to solve this problem. Using a small, wearable camera that attaches to your shirt with a clip or magnet, the device harnesses artificial intelligence and facial recognition software to ensure you don’t miss a beat in social interactions.

The device connects to an app on your phone or smart device and records your social interactions—but not the sound—so you can save a picture of everyone you interact with and connect to their social media or add them as a new contact to ensure you’ll remember them next time you meet.

Now imagine the same scenario, but rewind to when the person is walking toward you and you’re trying to remember the name. Suddenly, you get a notification on your smart watch or phone telling you who is approaching and when you last met. Now you can smile and greet the person by name.

Using the MyMe app, you can organize your contacts into categories, such as coworkers, friends and family. The app helps users keep track of their social interactions and set goals. How much time do you want to spend with your family versus working or being with friends? You can look at concrete numbers and statistics to analyze how you are spending your time.

Creators of MyMe said the device is hacker proof because it doesn’t save the photos it takes or connect to the cloud. The idea is to provide an easily manageable personal contacts list for the user.

MyMe is the newest addition to OrCam’s repertoire. OrCam is a wearable artificial intelligence device designed for blind or visually impaired people. The device attaches to glasses and can read text, identify faces, scan money to read the amount or help the user select clothing by identifying colors.

The company launched MyMe on Kickstarter in December to fund research and development and plans to start shipping the product, which will be available for US $399.

Source: Bridges for Peace

Photo Credit: HQuality/shutterstock.com