From Big Macs to Nikes: Hong Kong AI start-up Miro uses computer vision to track your sneakers in races

Miro chief executive Taylor Host once led projects for McDonald’s in the US, using computer vision to help the fast food chain sell more burgers by improving kitchen efficiency and measuring drive-through times.

Today, Host’s artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Miro uses the same technology but in a very different way – to identify and collect data on runners in marathons, including the sportswear and shoes they wear.

“We’re trying to make computers use cameras the same way that a human uses their eyes,” said Host. “Whether you want to identify an automobile or a face, computer vision is one of those areas of artificial intelligence where we’re seeing a lot of rapid advancement.”

Hong Kong-based Miro is one of many AI start-ups in the region which are developing computer vision technology. SenseTime, a Hong Kong and Beijing-headquartered company and the world’s most valuable AI start-up at US$4.5 billion, is one of the global leaders in computer vision. Chinese AI company Megvii is also another firm in China that is known for its facial recognition technology Face++.

But while companies like SenseTime and Megvii have largely focused on facial recognition, Miro has trained its computer vision model to identify numbers and objects, such as bib numbers – a “licence plate” of sorts – that each marathon runner wears during a race, and the brand logos of their shoes and running gear.

For example, Miro can use its computer vision model to process thousands of photographs from a race and pick out individual racers from their bib number. This allows racers to easily find pictures of themselves via their individual bib number.