In Japan, a Billboard That Watches You

An anonymous reader writes "At a Tokyo railway station above a flat-panel display hawking DVDs and books sits a small camera hooked up to some image processing software. When trials begin in January the camera will scan travelers to see how many of them are taking note of the panel, in part of a technology test being run by NTT Communications. It doesn't seek to identify individuals, but it will attempt to figure out how many of the people standing in front of an advertisement are actually looking at it. A second camera, which wasn't fitted at the station but will be when tests begin next month, will take care of estimating how many people are in front of the ad, whether they are looking at it or not."

Re:Which station in Tokyo?

[kumanopuusan]

I was wondering, too, so I looked up the original report [ntt.co.jp] on NTT's website [ntt.co.jp].

Three cameras are installed on the Keihin Express line at Shinagawa, Yokohama and Haneda Airport stations. There's also one in the Marunouchi Building by Tokyo station and one at their lab in Yokosuka. They'll be testing until the end of March. It seems like the image processing is only being performed at Marunouchi building and Haneda.

I go through Tokyo station on the way home, so I'll post later if I can find the thing.

Re:Which station in Tokyo?

[kumanopuusan]

I looked at the press release a bit closer and you can see that it's measuring two things: the number of people in the area [ntt.co.jp] and the number of people facing the advertisement [ntt.co.jp]. Here's a picture of the unit [ntt.co.jp].

Re:Slippery slope

[RCourtney]

Unfortunately, in this regard you are wrong too. Minority report used the telepathic trio to see/prevent murders. It used retinal scanners to actually track the day-to-day activities of the citizens' movements/actions. Thus the reasons he had his eyes replaced.