ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

A Russian start-up schools Google and Facebook facial recognition technology

NTechLab is only one year old, but it's already making headlines and playing with the big boys in the industry.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
October 20, 2016 - Updated on October 21, 2016
in News, Technology
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

These bees made blue honey after visiting an M&M factory
This Forgotten 4,000 km Wall in Mongolia Wasn’t Built for War
Scientists dream up plan to refreeze Earth’s poles by 2°C by spraying sun-blocking particles into the upper atmosphere. But is it worth it?
Astronomers may have detected a planet orbiting a triple star system

NTechLab is only one year old, but it’s already making headlines and playing with the big boys in the industry. They won the “MegaFace” facial recognition competition held last year in Washington state using a controversial technology, ahead of Google and Facebook’s own algorithms.

Face recognition has grown massively in past years. It was typically used in security systems but more recently has seen commercial applications in social media and marketing. Simply put, there’s a lot of money in facial recognition nowadays and tech giants Google and Facebook want to be ahead of everyone’s game. But a scrappy Russian startup came as a surprise contender.

“We are the first to learn how to efficiently handle large picture databases,” said NTechLab founder Artem Kukharenko to Intel iQ. “This advantage is the key to solving real-world problems, such as finding a criminal in real-time or identifying a regular customer from store surveillance cameras.”

NTechLab’s tech uses deep learning and a neural network-based architecture – which means that it learns how to identify faces and gets better all the time. According to Kukharenko, the most complicated step is the first one, in which the algorithm initially recognizes how to identify a face. After it does that, it creates a vector of 80 variables which store detailed information about the face. The algorithm differentiates between changeable parameters (facial hair, wrinkles, etc) and stable parameters. Then, it checks in those variables and makes the identification. It’s a stunningly fast process.

“We have found a special type of internal architecture for neural networks, that perfectly fits the face recognition tasks,” NTechLab CEO and founder Artem Kukharenko tells Digital Trends. “To search among huge datasets — up to billions [of images] — we use our specially developed search engine, which is extremely quick and accurate. Each face in the search index is represented by only 80 numbers (a very small amount for such algorithms), and the overall search time is [only] about half a second.”

So the 20-people company seems to be set for glory and there is already talk of some massive contracts being discussed for them. But in the meantime, if you want to test their software’s capabilities, you can try out FindFace, a free app which basically works like Shazam for people. You snap or upload a photo and then the app tries to identify the person by searching through the Russian social network Vkontakte.

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

News

Researchers tore down a Tesla and BYD battery to see which one’s better

byMihai Andrei
2 days ago
Genetics

Ancient DNA Reveals the Surprising Origins of Attila’s Huns. Genetics Point to an Ancient Mongolian Empire

byTibi Puiu
2 days ago
Animals

These Dolphins Use Sea Sponges on Their Faces to Hunt and It’s More Complicated Than Anyone Thought

byTudor Tarita
2 days ago
Future

Nearly 3,000 People Tried a Four-Day Workweek With No Pay Cut and the Results Were Great

byTudor Tarita
2 days ago

Recent news

Researchers tore down a Tesla and BYD battery to see which one’s better

July 25, 2025

Ancient DNA Reveals the Surprising Origins of Attila’s Huns. Genetics Point to an Ancient Mongolian Empire

July 25, 2025

These Dolphins Use Sea Sponges on Their Faces to Hunt and It’s More Complicated Than Anyone Thought

July 25, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.