For better or for worse, smartphones are increasingly becoming tools essential to our day-to-day lives. New apps are being invented by the minute, and as far as anyone knows, the future of these apps has no boundaries. What might be one of the most clever and convenient types of apps are recognition apps, where users can send data to their phones through the mic or camera to figure out the name of a particular song, translate a foreign word, or even identify an object. But the technology is still far from perfect, and one store in Japan hilariously found out that there's still a lot more work to be done regarding them.

Isumu Yanaka is a store in Bunkyo, Tokyo that specializes in Buddhist statues and sculptures. Out of sheer curiosity, the employees decided to use a recognition app to see if it would be able to accurately identify the statues in their store. What ensued was a series of comical "guesses" by the app, which Isumu Yanaka shared on Twitter (@isumuyanaka) for the amusement of others.

To be fair, the app was mostly accurate in identifying the diversely shaped statues. Although it couldn't say as far as what kind of statues they were (Buddhist statues, of course), it wasn't totally off the mark:

"Statue"

Source: @isumuyanaka

It didn't take long for things to get weird, however. Possibly confused at the various statues standing in all sorts of different poses (including deities with multiple limbs), the app began seeing objects not even remotely close to what they really were.

"Vacuum Cleaner"

Source: @isumuyanaka

"Motorcycle"

Source: @isumuyanaka

"Chandelier"

Source: @isumuyanaka

"French Horn"

Source: @isumuyanaka

"Desk Lamp"

Source: @isumuyanaka

"Coffee Grinder OR Water Fountain"

Source: @isumuyanaka

While these sound pretty ridiculous, with a closer look some of them seem more or less understandable. The statue identified as a chandelier kind of does look like a chandelier, and even the one recognized as a french horn does have a halo and an outstretched arm, which could possibly have been mistaken for the body and mouthpiece of the instrument.

It's also worth noting that visitors to Buddhist temples and museums are usually not allowed to take photos of the statues. At Isumu Yanaka, though, guests are free to touch and photograph them as they please, and perhaps try out their own recognition apps to see what kind of results they end up with.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.