An artistic design system for industrial product image retrieval

This article describes a new type of expert system that retrieves images of existing industrial products using a sketched image drawn by a designer on the basis of artistic industry designs. In this method, sketched images are applied to an artistic design system for industrial products so that designers can conceive actual images of completed products and their applications, referring to practical products which have been realized before. Image retrieval is carried out by comparing the sketched image to the images of allied products. In a series of studies, the success rate was as high as 75-78%, thus confirming the applicability of this system. This concept is expected to be applied to the artistic design of industrial products. Examples are given for the following products: a vase, garments, and shoes.