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Automatic Facial Expression Recognition Using Features of Salient Facial Patches (1505.04026v1)

Published 15 May 2015 in cs.CV

Abstract: Extraction of discriminative features from salient facial patches plays a vital role in effective facial expression recognition. The accurate detection of facial landmarks improves the localization of the salient patches on face images. This paper proposes a novel framework for expression recognition by using appearance features of selected facial patches. A few prominent facial patches, depending on the position of facial landmarks, are extracted which are active during emotion elicitation. These active patches are further processed to obtain the salient patches which contain discriminative features for classification of each pair of expressions, thereby selecting different facial patches as salient for different pair of expression classes. One-against-one classification method is adopted using these features. In addition, an automated learning-free facial landmark detection technique has been proposed, which achieves similar performances as that of other state-of-art landmark detection methods, yet requires significantly less execution time. The proposed method is found to perform well consistently in different resolutions, hence, providing a solution for expression recognition in low resolution images. Experiments on CK+ and JAFFE facial expression databases show the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Citations (436)

Summary

  • The paper introduces a learning-free facial landmark detection method that significantly reduces execution time while maintaining accuracy at lower resolutions.
  • It extracts discriminative features from adaptive salient facial patches using LBP histograms to enhance the robustness of one-against-one classification.
  • The system is validated on CK+ and JAFFE databases, demonstrating competitive precision and practical applicability in resource-constrained environments.

Automatic Facial Expression Recognition Using Features of Salient Facial Patches

The paper by Happy and Routray offers a novel framework for facial expression recognition that efficiently extracts discriminative features from salient facial patches. The accurate detection of facial landmarks plays a crucial role in localizing these patches, which are active during emotion elicitation. The framework advances the field of affective computing by proposing a learning-free facial landmark detection method which achieves competitive performance with existing methods, yet boasts reduced computational complexity.

Key Contributions

  1. Facial Landmark Detection:
    • The paper introduces an automated learning-free method for facial landmark detection. This method offers a significant reduction in execution time compared to state-of-the-art techniques, maintaining accuracy even at lower resolutions. Unlike traditional approaches that may require manual initialization, this method provides robust point localization across a variety of expressions and imaging conditions.
  2. Salient Patch Extraction:
    • Specific facial patches that significantly contribute to expression recognition are identified based on landmark positions. These patches are processed to extract appearance features which are then used in classification tasks. The adaptive selection of different salient patches for varying expression pairs implies versatility in handling diverse expressions.
  3. One-Against-One Classification:
    • A one-against-one classification approach is used on the extracted features, optimizing expression differentiation between pairs. This method, combined with features derived from local binary pattern (LBP) histograms, supports the effective separation of expressions in challenging conditions, including low-resolution imagery.
  4. Evaluation and Performance:
    • The effectiveness of the proposed system is validated through experiments on CK+ and JAFFE databases, illustrating superior or comparable precision against existing systems. The results underscore the system's capability to handle different face resolutions, a prevalent issue in real-world applications where image quality can vary significantly.

Theoretical and Practical Implications

From a theoretical standpoint, this paper offers a new perspective on reducing computational loads while maintaining accurate facial recognition performance. The learning-free approach to landmark detection challenges the necessity of complex model training traditionally required in these systems.

Practically, the paper's findings demonstrate potential applications in environments where computational resources are constrained or where high-resolution images are not available. This includes surveillance, driver monitoring, and HCI systems, where adaptive, efficient emotion recognition can enhance system responsiveness and overall user interaction quality.

Future Directions

Further exploration could address potential improvements in occlusion handling, where facial regions may be covered by hair or other objects. The integration of temporal dynamics to capture expression sequences may augment recognition accuracy further. Such additions could be critical for developing real-time systems capable of tracking and interpreting emotions in dynamic, everyday settings.

In conclusion, Happy and Routray's work makes significant strides in facial expression recognition, setting a strong foundation for future advancements that could leverage the robustness and efficiency demonstrated by their approach. The versatility and adaptability of this system suggest a promising direction for real-world applications across various domains.