Google invests in start-up that identifies images through your phone’s camera

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Monday, 11 July 2016 15:15pm

Google has said “oui” (yes) to buying French start-up Moodstocks, a company that specialises in rapid object recognition from smartphones. This interest from Google is further proof that the world of accessibility is going mainstream.

Google logo

Google already has an object recognition app (Google Goggles), but Moodstocks operates differently. It runs on your smartphone rather than via a server, which makes it more affordable, more mainstream and more accessible to its targeted audience.

Some analysts are wondering if Google will be launching its own SDK for developers to put in more imaging services into apps, or if it will incorporate the technology solely into its own customer-facing offerings. But one thing is certain, and that is that the Moodstocks team are moving into Google’s Paris-based R&D offices.

This isn’t the first time that we have seen Google take a keen interest in the world of accessibility. As part of its focus to making Android devices more accessible to people with disabilities and impairments, Google recently launched Voice Access Beta, an accessibility service that allows Android users to control all of the functionality of their device by voice alone.

It is clear to say with the rapid advancement of technology in recent times, accessibility has become increasingly sophisticated. When company giants like Google, which has a massive impact on the everyday lives of many millions of people, chose to invest in accessibility, it has a positive flow-on effect of increasing the momentum of business investment into providing solutions for those with a disability.

 


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