Face Recognition Using Video Clips and Mug Shots


Gaile G. Gordon
Marquess E. Lewis
TASC, Inc.
55 Walkers Brook Drive, Reading, MA 01867

Abstract

This paper presents two automated identification systems based on 3D face recognition developed at TASC. They have the capability to processes mug shots, consisting of frontal and profile views, as well as video. Both systems are discussed in terms of their advantage with respect to viewing angle changes. The mug shot system, FaceMatcher, is based on low level pattern recognition of geometrically normalized subimages. The addition of profile imagery is shown to dramatically lower the recognition error rates of a frontal view based system. The video based system, FaceMatcher3D, explicitly extracts the 3D pose of the head in each video frame. Low level features, such as corners, are identified and tracked in the video stream. The feature tracks are processed by a shape from motion algorithm which produces estimates of 3D geometry and pose. The geometry and pose estimates are considered together with facial structure constraints, temporal constraints, and initial pose estimates to refine knowledge of the specific face structure and its pose. This information can be used to extract frontal and profile views from the sequence and then to geometrically normalize them for comparison with the database. The capability to perform face recognition from video presents important advantages over other biometric identification methods, such as finger prints or retinal scans, because identification is now passive. Passive identification can be used not only in traditional access control, but also in surveillance applications.





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G. Gordon, M. Lewis, ``Face Recognition Using Video Clips and Mug Shots'', Proceedings of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) International Technical Symposium (Nashua, NH), October 1995.

Paper reprinted by permission of TASC, Inc., who holds the copyright thereto.