DoCoMo AI engine uses phone pics to analyze store shelves

NTT DoCoMo has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) engine that analyzes shelf allocation in stores and warehouses using photos taken with smartphones and other common devices. The image recognition engine employs DoCoMo's AI technology and constitutes part of NTT Group's corevo AI technology. Object-detection technology detects individual items in an image with over 98% accuracy and object-recognition technology identifies specific products with over 95% accuracy by matching them with images stored in a database. Currently, shelf-analysis technology requires products to be placed in the front row and facing forward to ensure high-precision recognition. DoCoMo says its new engine can recognize products on shelves without special arrangement, even when they are packed tightly together.