TOKYO, Japan - Think you've got a winning smile? Find out at CEATEC Japan 2007 where OMRON Corporation will be inviting visitors to 'grin and win' a Nintendo DS-Lite*1 in daily Best Smile tournaments. Would-be 'chuckle champions' should make their way to booth 7F13, Hall 7 at CEATEC JAPAN 2007 to try out OMRON's new smile measurement technology which will displayed alongside a wide range of advanced sensing devices and components for consumer electronics.

Tournament competitors will 'face off' one-on-one in front of a camera in a 30-second battle to out-smile their opponent. Winners will be decided by OMRON's newly-developed software which will rate each smile in real-time on a scale of 0% to 100%. <images>

But this software is more than just fun and games. "The technology has great potential for a whole host of applications from consumer electronics to healthcare," said Masato Kawade, senior manager of OMRON's Sensing & Control Laboratory. "Imagine a camera that makes sure you don't miss that moment when everyone is smiling at their best. Or what about a 'smile-checker' for people working in the service industry? The software could be used equally effectively by mental healthcare professionals as a means of tracking patients' mental condition, and in market research to gauge consumer responses to new products."

Smile measurement is the latest feature in OMRON's OKAO Vision suite of facial recognition software. Incorporating over 10 years of research, OKAO Vision uses a proprietary 3D model fitting technique to quickly and accurately detect and analyze faces even in blurred or partially obscured images or when the subject is not looking directly at the camera. It is able to verify identity, estimate age and gender and track pupil or eyelid movements instantaneously, whether the facial image is moving or stationary. Compact enough to be integrated on a chip for mobile devices, the software offers wide-ranging applications including identity theft prevention, building entry management, driver monitoring systems in cars and access control for age-restricted content.

"The face is one of the richest sources of information about humans open to interpretation by computers. OMRON is committed to developing even more sophisticated emotion-sensing technologies in the future that will enable machines to understand their users better and contribute directly to improved user safety and convenience," said Kawade.

In addition to biometrics technology, OMRON applies its core competencies in sensing and control technology to a whole range of lifestyle-enhancing products and services. A selection of the company's latest products will be on display at CEATEC JAPAN 2007 which runs from October 2 (Tuesday) through October 6 (Saturday) at Makuhari Messe, near Tokyo.

For more details about CEATEC JAPAN 2007, please visit: http://www.ceatec.com/2007/en/visitor/

*1 Nintendo DS is a registered trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd.