Google of Shapes & Images

PixLogic Inc. has released a tool, called PiXserve that enables searching & mining for pictures, shapes, and images that, in some manner, are similar to a given images.

Its features include automatic image segmentation, image normalization so that 2 or more similar, but not identical, images can be rationally compared, and image contextualization, i.e. the ability to use context to understand what is in the image, rationalize its contents and deal with the missing or incomplete information implied by an image.

There is also a piXsearch SDK .

An application of these tools, specially the SDK, is in the PLM arena. Specifically one can envision using the SDK to perform detaining on the CAD & CAM drawings that are deposited in such PLM tools as TeamCenter Enterprise, TeamCenter Engineering or similar tools from CATIA and others.

One can perform this type of shape data mining in conjunction with data mining on BOM (E-BOM), warranty data, and plant data etc. Thus one could pose & find answers to questions such as "Which designs have caused me the most warranty costs and in which plants have they been manufactured?" Currently we cannot answer such questions.