SceneTap Facial Recognition Coming to a Club Near You

Get ready, Bay Area clubbers: SceneTap is heading your way this weekend.

The facial recognition technology is being adopted by clubs and bars across the country to help customers get a sneak peek at the nightlife and crowds on a given night.

SceneTap is already being used in multiple cities: Austin, Texas; Bloomington, Ind.; Gainesville, Fla.; Athens, Ga.; and Madison, Wis. It was originally rolled out in 50 Chicago-area venues in 2011.

As of Friday, the technology will be in 25 bars in the San Francisco area as well.

How does it work? SceneTap uses special cameras places throughout a club or bar to tell users what kind of crowd is there, in real-time. Users download the SceneTap app for free, then can get clued into the demographics of any member bar’s crowd.

Don’t worry: The information isn’t shared with police, and the venue doesn’t even have access to the video footage. Cole Harper, the CEO of Texas-based SceneTap, insists that the technology is not any more intrusive on your privacy than showing the bouncer your ID.

"We've been privacy advocates from day one," Harper told NBC. "SceneTap helps increase foot traffic by matching up people with the scene for them. So if you're with a group looking to grab a drink at a table and have an audible conversation, you can find a place ahead of time that isn't too crowded. On the other hand, if you're looking for a busier atmosphere, SceneTap can help you find that scene, too."

App Connects Two Smartphones to Take Synchronized Photos

SynchroCam is not just another app. Really, it's a step toward a new age of photography: a collaborative level that is perfect for the social-media world.

SynchroCam lets you wirelessly link multiple devices (on the same wi-fi network or via Bluetooth), freeze a moment in time and save it as a 3D-like animated GIF.

Hopefully, projects like the Apollon concept will come next, allowing your camera to be physically combined with your friends’ cameras. This would let you snap images together to create things like panoramas and 3D photographs. Check out the idea below.

Hey, we can dream. In the meantime, download SynchroCam for free here.

A License to Self-drive: Google's Autonomous Cars Get Plates

Since 2011, Nevada has been the only state to allow autonomous vehicles to cruise its roads. And now, the first license plate for a self-driving car has been issued—to Google, of course.

The new, futuristic plate identifies the car as a self-driving vehicle, helping other drivers and law enforcement officials to distinguish it. The licensing process took a while; Google had to first prove to the state of Nevada that its car is safe and that the company has measures in place for insurance, training, accident reporting, etc.

Although Google is the first company to receive a plate, that might not last long. Other car manufacturers may soon flock to the state to take advantage of its laws and wide open spaces and develop their own self-driving vehicles. According to the DMV, "just about every manufacturer in Detroit" is interested, though some are closer to the goal than others.

Chinese and European companies are looking into autonomous cars too. Germany's Continental Automotive group has driven thousands of miles in their self-driving car to qualify for a license in Nevada.

It will be interesting to see where this Nevada trend takes us in the coming years. What do you think? Would you ride in a self-driving car?

Creepy Wall-mounted Robot Tracks Your Movements

G.I.A. (Gestural Interactive Automation) is your new creepy robot friend. Created by Daniel Jay Bertner, the GIA robot sculpture is anchored to a wall and tracks you around the room, using motion tracking software. It also uses facial recognition technology to interact with you and, worse yet, projects a video image of a human face on a sphere that responds with facial expressions.

When you enter GIA’s room, it tracks your movements and appears to be watching and following you from its perch… ready to strike? The projected facial video changes expression based on gestures or reactions it picks up from the audience.

Check out the video to see GIA in action.

Robotic Hair Dresser Coming Soon

Panasonic is really branching out with their robotics efforts these days. Their latest development? A robot that washes, massages and blow-dries a user’s hair, the Daily Mail reports.

The robot is being tested in Japan before it’s available for commercial use. And though it was originally developed for the elderly and disabled, it might stop cropping up in hair salons.

Panasonic’s new Head Care Robot has 24 “fingers” that massage a person’s head, which supposedly beats the whole head-massage-from-a-human experience. Each user can customers his or her shampooing experience, and the robot has specially-placed nozzles for rinsing longer hair. It even mists the hair with conditioner to ensure an even coat.

So will people feel comfortable using a robotic hair dresser? Well, Panasonic says the massage portion of the wash is “extremely relaxing.” And not at all creepy. They swear.