Polar Rose has announced details of a product that will allow users to search the internet using facial recognition technology.

The plug-in browser from the Swedish company is set to make images searchable online by analysing the people and objects within them.

Currently image searches only use the text which accompanies the picture.

However, Polar Rose's service will examine the images themselves, looking for the pictures which most closely match them.

When used on news websites, the service could be used to research information on those featured in the article's photos.

Polar Rose also aims to make the technology available for use on video footage and has plans to launch a contextual advertising programme reports E-Consultancy.