Customer
Artclear is transforming how valuable artworks are bought, managed and sold. Using sophisticated scanning technology, they create digital fingerprints for artworks including prints, based upon the physically distinct properties of each piece. These fingerprints are held within a secure database which is used to cross-check the artwork against and ultimately verify its authenticity at any time in the future. This database increases transparency and trust within the art world and reduces risk for the end buyer who gains far greater levels of confidence in what they are purchasing.
The Challenge
The Artclear team identified that the art market was suffering from unreliable data and an archaic system that led to time and cost consuming reverification and problems with forgery. They saw there was a pressing need for a modern digital asset management infrastructure. Artclear began collaborating with Hewlett Packard on the idea of a forensic imaging scanner based upon preexisting HP software used in the identification of print. After some initial prototyping, they approached Loop Technology to help in its development. Over the course of the work, we helped develop the scanner hardware, the controls, the software and vision. Ultimately, they required a system that could image artwork, create associated digital signatures and a portal that would provide users with seamless access to secure data. The project required the Loop Technology team to employ a range of our skills in machine vision, motion control, software design, mechanical and electrical design.
What We Did
We developed a mobile scanner system existing on cartesian axes. It has a vision system with built in lighting that conforms to museum standards for both UV and IR light. It has two cameras- a wide angle one that is used initially to identify a larger area of the artwork. The second signature camera has a 0.0035mm resolution and takes microscopic images that are used to create a unique digital code for each piece of art – the fingerprint.
The Process
- There is a preexisting database of images and fingerprints for all the artwork that has already been registered.
- The user logs into the Artclear platform where they then select whether they want to identify an artwork already in the system or register a new one. The main platform has been developed by 4Soft which is connected to a Loop Technology HMI.
- Identification is done by using an original stored image of the artwork and its associated fingerprints. The system then uses computer vision and imaging in a process of relocating, rescanning and matching fingerprints to confirm the identity of the artwork.
- For registration, the wide-angle camera images and scans the artwork, identifying areas of high detail. The second camera then scans at the microscopic level, capturing images from a region of around 8mm x 8mm. From this, the images are run through Hewlett Packard’s algorithm and a fingerprint is generated.
- A laser range finder is used to ensure the system stays at a safe distance and never touches the artwork. Fingerprints are added to certificates which include additional important information about the artwork, whilst Blockchain technology is used to ensure data security.
The Outcome
Artclear is now used to empower artists, galleries, action houses, museums and financial institutions to identify physical artworks with forensic levels of certainty, with less than 1 in a billion chance of false identification. Scans are done within fifteen minutes and in situ meaning artworks do not need to leave the owner’s possession. The Artclear portal is designed with ease of use to seamlessly integrate with the customers preexisting systems whilst using blockchain technology to ensure the data in the inventory is immutable. Forensic quality fingerprints and certificates are created for paintings, photographs, prints and multiples, creating a new level of confidence in the art market!
