The MediaPipe Face Detector task lets you detect faces in an image or video. You can usethis task to locate faces and facial features within a frame. This task uses amachine learning (ML) model that works with single images or a continuousstream of images. The task outputs face locations, along with the followingfacial key points: left eye, right eye, nose tip, mouth, left eye tragion, andright eye tragion.
Face detection models can vary depending on their intended use cases, such asshort-range and long-range detection. Models also typically make trade-offsbetween performance, accuracy, resolution, and resource requirements, and insome cases, include additional features.
The models listed in this section are variants of BlazeFace, a lightweight andaccurate face detector optimized for mobile GPU inference. BlazeFace models aresuitable for applications like 3D facial keypoint estimation, expressionclassification, and face region segmentation. BlazeFace uses a lightweightfeature extraction network similar toMobileNetV1/V2.
A lightweight model for detecting single or multiple faces within selfie-likeimages from a smartphone camera or webcam. The model is optimized forfront-facing phone camera images at short range. The model architecture uses aSingle Shot Detector (SSD) convolutional network technique with a customencoder. For more information, see the research paper onSingle Shot MultiBox Detector.
A relatively lightweight model for detecting single or multiple faces withinimages from a smartphone camera or webcam. The model is optimized for full-rangeimages, like those taken with a back-facing phone camera images. The modelarchitecture uses a technique similar to aCenterNet convolutional network with acustom encoder.
Face detection, also called facial detection, is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer technology used to find and identify human faces in digital images and video. Face detection technology is often used for surveillance and tracking of people in real time. It is used in various fields including security, biometrics, law enforcement, entertainment and social media.
Face detection uses machine learning (ML) and artificial neural network (ANN) technology, and plays an important role in face tracking, face analysis and facial recognition. In face analysis, face detection uses facial expressions to identify which parts of an image or video should be focused on to determine age, gender and emotions. In a facial recognition system, face detection data is required to generate a faceprint and match it with other stored faceprints.
Face detection applications use AI algorithms, ML, statistical analysis and image processing to find human faces within larger images and distinguish them from nonface objects such as landscapes, buildings and other human body parts. Before face detection begins, the analyzed media is preprocessed to improve its quality and remove images that might interfere with detection.
Face detection algorithms typically start by searching for human eyes, one of the easiest features to detect. They then try to detect facial landmarks, such as eyebrows, mouth, nose, nostrils and irises. Once the algorithm concludes that it has found a facial region, it does additional tests to confirm that it has detected a face.
To ensure accuracy, the algorithms are trained on large data sets that incorporate hundreds of thousands of positive and negative images. The training improves the algorithms' ability to determine whether there are faces in an image and where they are.
Viola-Jones algorithm. This method is based on training a model to understand what is and isn't a face. Although the framework is still popular for recognizing faces in real-time applications, it has problems identifying faces that are covered or not properly oriented.
Template matching. This method is based on comparing images with previously stored standard face patterns or features and correlating the two to detect a face. However, this approach struggles to address variations in pose, scale and shape.
Appearance-based. This method uses statistical analysis and ML to find the relevant characteristics of face images. The appearance-based method can struggle with changes in lighting and orientation.
Single shot detector (SSD). While region proposal network-based approaches such as R-CNN need two camera shots -- one for generating region proposals and one for detecting the object of each proposal -- SSDs only require one shot to detect multiple objects within the image. Therefore, SSDs are faster than R-CNN. However, SSDs have difficulty detecting small faces or faces farther away from the camera.
Entertainment. Face detection is often used in movies, video games and virtual reality. Facial motion capture is used in face detection to electronically convert a human's facial movements into a digital database using cameras and laser scanners. This database can be used to produce realistic computer animation for movies, games or avatars.
Smartphones. Most smartphones use face detection to autofocus cameras for taking pictures and recording videos. Smartphones can also use face detection in place of passcodes. For instance, users of Apple iPhone X and later models can use face detection to unlock their phones.
Security. Face detection is used in security cameras to detect people who enter restricted spaces or to count how many people have entered an area. An additional use is drawing language inferences from visual cues -- a form of lip reading. This can help computers determine who is speaking and what they're saying, which helps with security applications. Furthermore, face detection can be used to determine which parts of an image to blur to ensure privacy, and used by public security cameras to map streets and the people on them in real time.
Marketing. The technology also has marketing applications, such as displaying specific advertisements when a particular face is recognized, or detecting emotions when customers react to products or services.
Emotional inference. Another application for face detection is as part of a software implementation of emotional inference, which can help people with autism understand the feelings of people around them. The program reads the emotions on a human face using advanced image processing.
Biometric identification. Similar to how face detection is used with smartphones, it can be used in e-commerce and online banking to verify identities based on facial features. It can also be used to control access to physical facilities.
The terms face detection and face recognition are often used interchangeably, and they both pertain to face identification. However, facial recognition is actually an application of face detection -- albeit one of the most significant ones. Facial recognition software is used for unlocking phones and mobile apps as well as for biometric verification. The banking, retail and transportation industries use facial recognition to reduce crime and prevent violence.
In short, face recognition technology goes beyond detecting the presence of a human face to determine whose face it is. The process uses a computer application that captures a digital image of an individual's face -- sometimes taken from a video frame -- and compares it with images in a database of stored records.
The capabilities of face detection are quickly growing due to the use of deep learning and neural networks. These algorithmic approaches are driving face recognition systems to more accurate, real-time detections. They're also enabling pairings with other biometric authentications, such as fingerprints and voice recognition, for advanced security.
Many experts cite ethical and privacy concerns in arguments against the further development of face detection and AI in general. Most significantly, face detection and facial recognition can be used without consent or a detected person's awareness. In addition, the risk of false positives is a problem.
Even supporters of AI, such as Elon Musk, have urged temporary halts to the development of AI systems, including face detection technology, citing ethical considerations and concern about unforeseen negative consequences.
The first computerized face detection experiments were launched in 1964 by American mathematician Woodrow W. Bledsoe. His team at Panoramic Research in Palo Alto, Calif., used a rudimentary scanner to scan people's faces and find matches in an attempt to program computers to recognize faces. The experiment was largely unsuccessful because of the computer's difficulty with pose, lighting and facial expressions.
Major improvements to face detection methodology came in 2001, when computer vision researchers at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Paul Viola and Michael Jones proposed a framework to detect faces in real time with high accuracy. The Viola-Jones framework is based on training a model to understand what is and is not a face. Once trained, the model extracts specific features, which are stored in a file so that features from new images can be compared with the stored features at various stages. If the image under study passes through each stage of the feature comparison, then a face has been detected and operations can proceed.
The Viola-Jones framework is still used to recognize faces in real-time applications, but it has limitations. For example, the framework might not work if a face is covered with a mask or scarf, or if the face isn't properly oriented, the algorithm might not be able to find it. Recent years have brought advances in face detection using deep learning, which outperforms traditional computer vision methods.
Face detection is a computer technology being used in a variety of applications that identifies human faces in digital images.[1] Face detection also refers to the psychological process by which humans locate and attend to faces in a visual scene.[2]
df19127ead