The Hindu Business Line : Beauty beep

That explains why the endless effort of hopping in and out of natural light and matching shades with the skin on the neck is often accompanied by advice sessions with a consultant at the beauty counter. And yet, somewhere across the forty shades that separate the lightest and deepest of dark skin, finding the right foundation can continue to pose a challenge.

Unlikely advisor

All this, however, will soon be passé. Thanks to a pioneering technology developed by HP Labs, the central research and development organisation of Hewlett-Packard Company whose portfolio spans printing, personal computing, software services and IT infrastructure, a cosmetic buyer looking to take guesswork out of matching colours has found an unlikely advisor — the mobile phone.

All that she is now required to do is carry a mobile phone equipped with a camera and multimedia message (MMS) capabilities, photograph herself holding a specially designed colour chart close to the face, and send the photo as an MMS to the specified number of “an advisory service” on a server. Even before she can run her eyes around, this service locates her face within the image using enhanced Viola and Jones method, colour-corrects it for camera and lighting discrepancies, culls out skin pixels from the colour-corrected image of her face, and compares them to an existing database of previously captured and analysed images of her skin tone. In a matter of seconds, her phone beeps to the arrival of a text message and presto, her problem stands resolved — it’s a recommendation for the shades of make-up that go best with her complexion.

Innovative platform

Nina Bhatti

Using sophisticated imaging algorithms and mobile networking, HP’s Colour Match mobile service technology matches colours that complement each other and provides product advice over a mobile phone. The idea germinated three years ago when a cosmetics company came knocking on HP’s doors in search of innovative ways to connect with its customers. “Recognising the ubiquity of mobile phones among consumers, HP Labs researchers began developing a technology that utilised this commonplace device,” says Nina Bhatti, Principal Scientist, Digital Imaging and Printing Lab, HP Labs.

Before long, the researchers combined their collective expertise in advanced imaging, computer vision, statistical algorithms and mobility to deliver a solution that paved the way to a novel platform. “The Colour Match platform has the potential to revolutionise a customer’s business and create a competitive advantage with consumers. It offers a whole new way to interact with and delight the consumer,” says the California-based Nina, whose work involves creating leading-edge web, performance and networking technologies and then driving the transformation of these new technologies into successful commercial products.

“Mobile colour match technology is potentially a very important innovation,” affirms Crawford Del Prete, senior vice president, IDC. “As it is applied to different scenarios, it will give customers the ability to accomplish tasks that before were left to guesswork or were simply not possible without experts. This has historically been very important for early stage innovations to gain acceptance in new markets.”

Announced in July this year, this technology is already being hailed as significant to the way people shop for products requiring colour coordination. Such mobile imaging technology that promises expert advice via mobile phone anytime, anywhere, has applications in the areas of décor, design and fashion. The day isn’t far when this service will come in handy to zero in on everything from the right colours for ties, pants and suits, to the right paint for your walls. Experts at HP inform that the easy-to-use photo analysis works across all skin tone populations and works well regardless of image quality, camera discrepancies or lighting conditions. In addition, the technology can work with any mobile operator and on any mobile phone equipped with a camera.

Experiment - stage

“Colour Match is an experimental technology developed by HP Labs and is not currently being tested at any commercial locations,” says Nina. However, as a technology that can help customers select the right products for their needs, Colour Match looks all set to bring cheer to retailers, consumer goods and other companies that require a high level of colour or image coordination. Beyond retail, the technology has applications for other industries such as healthcare, where it can help companies reach people where and when they need assistance. Nina concurs, “While originally created to be used for cosmetics, the platform may be applicable to many industries, enabling HP to sell innovative technologies to new markets.”

With customers increasingly keen to tap into mobile technologies for connecting with consumers at the point of decision, the possibilities are immense. “HP’s colour matching technology provides retailers and consumer goods companies with a new, fun way to interact with customers and promote their products,” says Nina.

That is why HP is actively seeking to partner with retailers and consumer goods companies to make the technology available to consumers.

As of now, however, the impetus is being provided by the cosmetics segment. “HP is in early discussions with several cosmetics companies that have taken an interest in Colour Match as a way to deliver value to consumers and retailers,” informs Nina. “For those who shop for cosmetics, this technology gives them a virtual beauty consultant in the palm of their hands.”

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