22-06-2011, 12:13 PM
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ABSTRACT
While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up. In this paper, we'll learn how computers are turning your face into computer code so it can be compared to thousands, if not millions, of other faces. We'll also look at how facial recognition software is being used in elections, criminal investigations and to secure your personal computer.
Facial recognition software falls into a larger group of technologies known as biometrics. Biometrics uses biological information to verify identity. The basic idea behind biometrics is that our bodies contain unique properties that can be used to distinguish us from others. Facial recognition methods may vary, but they generally involve a series of steps that serve to capture, analyze and compare your face to a database of stored images.
A Software company called Visionics developed Facial Recognition software called Faceit. The heart of this facial recognition system is the Local Feature Analysis (LFA) algorithm. This is the mathematical technique the system uses to encode faces. The system maps the face and creates a faceprint, a unique numerical code for that face. Once the system has stored a faceprint, it can compare it to the thousands or millions of faceprints stored in a database. Potential applications even include ATM and check-cashing security, Security Law Enforcement & Security Surveillance and voter database for duplicates. This biometrics technology could also be used to secure your computer files, by mounting a web cam to your computer and to get into your computer. By implementing this technology and the normal password security you are getting double security to your valuable data.
Introduction
People have an amazing ability to recognize and remember thousands of faces. While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up. In this paper, you'll learn how computers are turning your face into computer code so it can be compared to thousands, if not millions, of other faces. We'll also look at how facial recognition software is being used in elections, criminal investigations and to secure your personal computer.
Biometrics is considered a natural means of identification since the ability to distinguish among individual appearances is possessed by humans. Facial scan systems can range from software-only solutions that process images processed through existing closed-circuit television cameras and processing systems.With facial recognition technology, a digital video camera image is used to analyze facial characteristics such as the distance between eyes, mouth or nose. These measurements are stored in a database and used to compare with a subject standing before a camera.
Facial-scan technology is based on the standard biometrics sequence of image acquisition, image acquisition, and image processing distinctive characteristic location, templates creations, and matching. An optimal image is captured through a high resolution camera, with moderate lighting and users directly facing a camera. The enrollment images define the facial characteristics to be used in all future verifications, thus a high quality enrollment is essential. Challenges that occur in the image Acquisition process include distance from user angled acquisition and lighting. Distance from the camera reduces facial size and thus image resolution.
The Face
Your face is an important part of who you are and how people identify you. Imagine how hard it would be to recognize an individual if all faces looked the same. Except in the case of identical twins, the face is arguably a person's most unique physical characteristic. While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up.
Visionics, a company based in New Jersey, is one of many developers of facial recognition technology. The twist to its particular software, FaceIt, is that it can pick someone's face out of a crowd, extract that face from the rest of the scene and compare it to a database full of stored images. In order for this software to work, it has to know what a basic face looks like.
Facial recognition software can be used to find criminals in a crowd, turning a mass of people into a big line up.
Facial recognition software is based on the ability to first recognize a face, which is a technological feat in itself, and then measure the various features of each face. If you look in the mirror, you can see that your face has certain distinguishable landmarks. These are the peaks and valleys that make up the different facial features. Visionics defines these landmarks as nodal points. There are about 80 nodal points on a human face. Here are a few of the nodal points that are measured by the software:
1. Distance between eyes 2. Width of nose 3. Depth of eye sockets
4. Cheek bones. 5. Jaw Line 6. Chin
These nodal points are measured to create a numerical code, a string of numbers that represents the face in a database. This code is called a faceprint. Only 14 to 22 nodal points are needed for the FaceIt software to complete the recognition process. In the next section, we'll look at how the system goes about detecting, capturing and storing faces.
The Software:
Facial recognition software falls into a larger group of technologies known as biometrics. Biometrics uses biological information to verify identity. The basic idea behind biometrics is that our bodies contain unique properties that can be used to distinguish us from others. Besides facial recognition, biometric authentication methods also include Fingerprint scan, Retina scan and Voice identification.
Facial recognition methods may vary, but they generally involve a series of steps that serve to capture, analyze and compare your face to a database of stored images. Here is the basic process that is used by the FaceIt system to capture and compare images:
ABSTRACT
While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up. In this paper, we'll learn how computers are turning your face into computer code so it can be compared to thousands, if not millions, of other faces. We'll also look at how facial recognition software is being used in elections, criminal investigations and to secure your personal computer.
Facial recognition software falls into a larger group of technologies known as biometrics. Biometrics uses biological information to verify identity. The basic idea behind biometrics is that our bodies contain unique properties that can be used to distinguish us from others. Facial recognition methods may vary, but they generally involve a series of steps that serve to capture, analyze and compare your face to a database of stored images.
A Software company called Visionics developed Facial Recognition software called Faceit. The heart of this facial recognition system is the Local Feature Analysis (LFA) algorithm. This is the mathematical technique the system uses to encode faces. The system maps the face and creates a faceprint, a unique numerical code for that face. Once the system has stored a faceprint, it can compare it to the thousands or millions of faceprints stored in a database. Potential applications even include ATM and check-cashing security, Security Law Enforcement & Security Surveillance and voter database for duplicates. This biometrics technology could also be used to secure your computer files, by mounting a web cam to your computer and to get into your computer. By implementing this technology and the normal password security you are getting double security to your valuable data.
Introduction
People have an amazing ability to recognize and remember thousands of faces. While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up. In this paper, you'll learn how computers are turning your face into computer code so it can be compared to thousands, if not millions, of other faces. We'll also look at how facial recognition software is being used in elections, criminal investigations and to secure your personal computer.
Biometrics is considered a natural means of identification since the ability to distinguish among individual appearances is possessed by humans. Facial scan systems can range from software-only solutions that process images processed through existing closed-circuit television cameras and processing systems.With facial recognition technology, a digital video camera image is used to analyze facial characteristics such as the distance between eyes, mouth or nose. These measurements are stored in a database and used to compare with a subject standing before a camera.
Facial-scan technology is based on the standard biometrics sequence of image acquisition, image acquisition, and image processing distinctive characteristic location, templates creations, and matching. An optimal image is captured through a high resolution camera, with moderate lighting and users directly facing a camera. The enrollment images define the facial characteristics to be used in all future verifications, thus a high quality enrollment is essential. Challenges that occur in the image Acquisition process include distance from user angled acquisition and lighting. Distance from the camera reduces facial size and thus image resolution.
The Face
Your face is an important part of who you are and how people identify you. Imagine how hard it would be to recognize an individual if all faces looked the same. Except in the case of identical twins, the face is arguably a person's most unique physical characteristic. While humans have had the innate ability to recognize and distinguish different faces for millions of years, computers are just now catching up.
Visionics, a company based in New Jersey, is one of many developers of facial recognition technology. The twist to its particular software, FaceIt, is that it can pick someone's face out of a crowd, extract that face from the rest of the scene and compare it to a database full of stored images. In order for this software to work, it has to know what a basic face looks like.
Facial recognition software can be used to find criminals in a crowd, turning a mass of people into a big line up.
Facial recognition software is based on the ability to first recognize a face, which is a technological feat in itself, and then measure the various features of each face. If you look in the mirror, you can see that your face has certain distinguishable landmarks. These are the peaks and valleys that make up the different facial features. Visionics defines these landmarks as nodal points. There are about 80 nodal points on a human face. Here are a few of the nodal points that are measured by the software:
1. Distance between eyes 2. Width of nose 3. Depth of eye sockets
4. Cheek bones. 5. Jaw Line 6. Chin
These nodal points are measured to create a numerical code, a string of numbers that represents the face in a database. This code is called a faceprint. Only 14 to 22 nodal points are needed for the FaceIt software to complete the recognition process. In the next section, we'll look at how the system goes about detecting, capturing and storing faces.
The Software:
Facial recognition software falls into a larger group of technologies known as biometrics. Biometrics uses biological information to verify identity. The basic idea behind biometrics is that our bodies contain unique properties that can be used to distinguish us from others. Besides facial recognition, biometric authentication methods also include Fingerprint scan, Retina scan and Voice identification.
Facial recognition methods may vary, but they generally involve a series of steps that serve to capture, analyze and compare your face to a database of stored images. Here is the basic process that is used by the FaceIt system to capture and compare images:
