Mobile Visual Search Platform launched by Ricoh innovations

RicohInnovations Corporation ("RIC"), a subsidiary of Ricoh Company, Ltd. that develops innovative technologies and creates new businesses for Ricoh announced the launch of the Ocutag mobile visual search platform, the first product from its newly formed Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit. The first implementation for this technology has been done with Disney-UTV Digital's new smartphone app in India.

Disney UTV Digital has launched its "UTV Stars" mobile app for smartphones powered with the Ocutag platform. The augmented reality feature called ‘Snap Search' connects users to their favorite bollywood stars and allows them to click a snap of a movie poster to provide easy access to customized content like movie trailers, behind the scenes videos, Tweets, pictures and more.
"The mission for our new Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit is to understand and interpret the world's visual information to provide an enhanced human experience. High-performance, large-scale mobile visual search plays an important role in realizing that mission," stated Dr. Nikhil Balram, president and CEO of Ricoh Innovations. "We are proud to be a part of Disney UTV's next-generation mobile app, demonstrating an exciting new way that companies can use Ricoh's Ocutag platform to deliver the value of visual search to their customers," added Dr. Balram.

When powered by the Ocutag platform, mobile apps connect users with a variety of related digital media through the simple capture of an image, for easy access to customized multimedia content and other services. The Ocutag platform improves companies' ability to engage their customers by presenting targeted, highly customizable, actionable information. Any image, including those on TV screens, posters, magazines, catalogs and product packaging, can connect users to digital marketing content such as text, video, purchase options and access to social networks.

It uses the unique and proprietary Ricoh Visual Search technology that has over ninety patents granted or pending, to deliver industry-leading performance with fast response times and high accuracy, while supporting large databases to satisfy the most demanding of applications. Also provided is access to comprehensive, easy-to-use tools for developers and content experts, as well as rich analytics and extensive support.