Embodiments of the present invention may provide the capability to identify a specific object being interacted with that may be cheaply and easily included in mass-produced objects. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for object identification may comprise receiving a signal produced by a physical interaction with an object to be identified, the signal produced by an identification structure coupled to the object during physical interaction with the object, processing the signal to form digital data representing the signal, and accessing a database using the digital data to retrieve information identifying the object.

An apparatus and method for ultrafast real-time optical imaging that can be used for imaging dynamic events such as microfluidics or laser surgery is provided. The apparatus and methods encode spatial information from a sample into a back reflection of a two-dimensional spectral brush that is generated with a two-dimensional disperser and a light source that is mapped in to the time domain with a temporal disperser. The temporal waveform is preferably captured by an optical detector, converted to an electrical signal that is digitized and processed to provide two dimensional and three dimensional images. The produced signals can be optically or electronically amplified. Detection may be improved with correlation matching against a database in the time domain or the spatial domain. Embodiments for endoscopy, microscopy and simultaneous imaging and laser ablation with a single fiber are illustrated.

A system and a method for conducting credit card transactions through a mobile device of a user. The mobile device comprises an image acquisition unit and a mobile application operated by the mobile device. The system enables acquiring an image of a client's credit card, using the image acquisition unit; analyzing data of the image; outputting details of the credit card from the analysis; verifying the output details, wherein the verification is further carried out through the mobile application; verifying authorization of inputted monetary transaction, wherein the mobile application enables verifying the authorization by communicating with the billing center, associated with at least one credit company associated with the credit card over at least one communication network, wherein the communication is carried out by the mobile application using the mobile device; and conducting monetary transactions using the verified credit card details.

An image display method includes displaying an input image having distortion on a display, receiving a plurality of points which are specified on the displayed input image in response to a user input, calculating a first processing area having a first shape according to the points specified on the displayed input image so that the first shape becomes a predetermined shape when distortion of the first processing area having the first shape is corrected, and displaying the first processing area having the first shape together with the input image on the display.

An image processing method includes: computing difference values between a boundary equivalent to an outer edge of a synthesis target region of an N.sup.th frame of a video image, and a boundary equivalent to an outer edge of a synthesis target region of an N−1.sup.th frame of the video image; generating a difference image such that whilst pixel values at a boundary of the difference image maintain the difference values, a region inside the boundary of the difference image matches a specific gradient condition; and deriving, an image that is the generated difference image added to the synthesized result image derived for the N−1.sup.th frame that is equivalent to a result of synthesizing a synthesis image onto the synthesis target region in the N−1.sup.th frame, and substituting the synthesized result image derived for the N.sup.th frame for an image of the synthesis target region in the N.sup.th frame.

The application discloses an information exchange method and an information exchange system, the method including: overlaying at least one decoding template onto an encoded pattern in at least one eye fundus of a user, to obtain a recovery pattern presented in the at least one eye fundus of the user, where the recovery pattern corresponds to an original pattern of the encoded pattern, and the at least one decoding template corresponds to at least one encoder used when the encoded pattern is obtained. According to the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, an encoded pattern is decoded by overlaying a decoding template to an encoded pattern in at least one eye fundus of a user, so that a specific user can conveniently and intuitively see information hidden in the encoded pattern directly on the spot.

A computer-implemented technique includes techniques are presented for user image capture feedback for improved machine language translation. When machine language translation of OCR text obtained from an initial image has a low degree of likelihood of being an appropriate translation, these techniques provide for user image capture feedback to obtain additional images to obtain a modified OCR text, which can result in improved machine language translation results. Instead of user image capture feedback, the techniques may obtain the modified OCR text by selecting another possible OCR text from the initial OCR operation. In addition to additional image capturing, light source intensity and/or a quantity/number of light source flashes can be adjusted. After obtaining the modified OCR text, another machine language translation can be obtained and, if it has a high enough degree of likelihood, it can then be output to a user.

A hand/finger image detector (112) detects a hand/finger image presenting a hand or finger of an operator from a frame image captured by a camera. An operation region specifier (113) specifies an operation region from a field of view of the camera based on the position or size of the hand/finger image in the entire frame image A region map maker (114) maps the specified operation region on a display region. Then, an operation input signal creator (115) detects change in the position, size, or shape of the hand/finger image in the mapped operation region, and creates and outputs an operation input signal based on the change.

A method of identifying one or more individuals with increased body temperature in a group of individuals, the method comprising the steps of: providing a scene (50), comprising one or more individuals, acquiring a plurality of successive sets of images of the scene (60), a set comprising a visual image and a thermal image, wherein in a set of images a content of the thermal image corresponds to a content of the visual image, detecting a feature of at least one of the individuals in at least one of the visual images (70), tracking at least one of the individuals based on the detected feature in the respective visual images of at least two of the sets of images (80), selecting a subset of the sets of images (100), using the feature in determining a measured temperature associated with the individual based on at least one of the thermal images of the subset (110), if the measured temperature exceeds a threshold value, providing an alarm (120), wherein providing the alarm comprises indicating the individual(s) associated with the alarm (130).

A sensor device is provided for a system for protecting an occupant, in particular a driver, of a vehicle from glare from light sources outside the vehicle. The device includes a projection surface, a shadow-casting object, which is arranged and/or designed such that upon an illumination of an object by a light source located outside the vehicle, at least one shadow of the object is cast onto the projection surface, an image capturing unit that is designed to capture an image of the shadow of the object cast onto the projection surface, and a control unit that is designed to detect at least one property of the at least one light source based on the captured image of the shadow of the object cast onto the projection surface.