TechKnow 131: Facial recognition software & eggs made in a lab

April 5, 2014 3:00PM ET

New facial recognition technology, innovative egg substitutes made by chefs and scientists, plus solar energy

Topics:
Science
Technology
Food

Join “TechKnow” contributors Phil Torres, Shini Somara, Marita Davison and Kyle Hill as they explore scientific innovations and their impact on our lives. Shini reports on facial recognition software used for law enforcement—and nightclubs. Marita visits a San Francisco lab working to build a better, plant-based egg substitute. Plus Kyle visits a solar field in Nevada that traps sunlight in molten salt to create renewable energy. 

More on facial recognition, eggs and solar energy

Animetrics

Animetrics is a leading developer in next-generation 2D-to-3D facial recognition software. Their unique algorithms can transform any 2D image into a 3D model that can be used as a visualization tool for anything from law enforcement to online entertainment.

Hampton Creek Foods

Hampton Creek Foods is a San Francisco-based company focused on finding plant substitutes for eggs in a variety of food products. They currently have two products, Just Mayo and a cookie dough product called Eat the Dough, on the market are developing many more.

Solar Reserve

Solar Reserve is a "developer of large-scale solar energy projects." Their Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology uses thousands of tracking mirrors, called heliostats, to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto one point, where it is used to generate heat which is then converted into energy. The process uses liquid molten salt to store this energy, which can be used to generate electricity at any time of the day or night.

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