Marketing 0

Sensor Tech
Aside from text and speech recognition, computers also learn from
image and facial recognition. The growing popularity of photos and
selfies in the era of social media fuels this trend. In a nutshell, what
image recognition does is scan an image and look on the web or
database for a resemblance. As a leading search engine, Google has
developed image recognition capabilities whereby people can
perform a search using an image.
The application for image recognition is immense. For example,
browsing through millions of social media posts, companies can scan
photos of people buying and consuming their brands and send
thank-you notes. They can also identify people using competing
brands and invite them to switch. This highly targeted advertising is
a very efficient way to improve market share.
Tesco in the UK uses image recognition sensors extensively to
improve their planograms, which show how retail products should be
displayed on the shelves to encourage more purchases. It deploys

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robots to take photos of products on the shelves and analyze the
images to identify stockouts and misplacements. The image
recognition capability is also useful to improve customer experience.
For instance, customers may scan a product on the shelf and receive
detailed information about the product from an AI engine.
Tesco also plans to deploy a facial recognition camera on checkout
counters to identify the age of alcohol and cigarette shoppers. It
allows for self-checkout without the presence of a human cashier.
Another use case of facial recognition software is for digital
billboards. Identifying the demographic profile and emotional state
of the audience can help advertisers deliver the right content.
Capturing the facial responses to content also allows advertisers to
improve their ads.
Another popular area of sensor deployment is in autonomous
vehicles. Tech companies like Google-affiliated Waymo are
competing with automaker-backed companies like GM Cruise, Ford
Autonomous, and Argo AI in this area. A self-driving car heavily
depends on sensors to feed the AI with an understanding of the
surrounding condition. It typically uses four types of sensors—
camera, radar, ultrasound, and lidar—situated in different parts of
the vehicle to measure distance, identify road lanes, and detect other
surrounding cars.
Telematics systems involving sensors are also installed in cars to
improve safety and assist with vehicle management. It is particularly
useful for logistics and supply chain optimization. Owners can
monitor their driverless vehicles, receiving daily insights about GPS
patterns, driving time, mileage, and fuel efficiency. More
importantly, owners can get a reminder when their cars need
servicing. Insurance companies like Progressive and GEICO also use
telematics for usage-based insurance programs offering premium
discounts.