This paper presents a method for extracting distinctive invariant features from images, which can be used to perform reliable matching between different images of an object or scene. The features are invariant to image scale and rotation, and are shown to provide robust matching across a a substantial range of affine distortion, addition of noise, change in 3D viewpoint, and change in illumination. The features are highly distinctive, in the sense that a single feature can be correctly matched with high probability against a large database of features from many images. This paper also describes an approach to using these features for object recognition. The recognition proceeds by matching individual features to a database of features from known objects using a fast nearest-neighbor algorithm, followed by a Hough transform to identify clusters belonging to a single object, and finally performing verification through leastsquares solution for consistent pose parameters. This approach to recognition can robustly identify objects among clutter and occlusion while achieving near real-time performance.

An object recognition system has been developed that uses a new class of local image features. The features are invariant to image scaling, translation, and rotation, and partially invariant to illumination changes and affine or 3D projection. These features share similar properties with neurons in inferior temporal cortex that are used for object recognition in primate vision. Features are efficiently detected through a staged filtering approach that identifies stable points in scale space. Image keys are created that allow for local geometric deformations by representing blurred image gradients in multiple orientation planes and at multiple scales. The keys are used as input to a nearest-neighbor indexing method that identifies candidate object matches. Final verification of each match is achieved by finding a low-residual least-squares solution for the unknown model parameters. Experimental results show that robust object recognition can be achieved in cluttered partially-occluded images with a computation time of under 2 seconds.

Abstract—This paper presents a method for face recognition across variations in pose, ranging from frontal to profile views, and across a wide range of illuminations, including cast shadows and specular reflections. To account for these variations, the algorithm simulates the process of image formation in 3D space, using computer graphics, and it estimates 3D shape and texture of faces from single images. The estimate is achieved by fitting a statistical, morphable model of 3D faces to images. The model is learned from a set of textured 3D scans of heads. We describe the construction of the morphable model, an algorithm to fit the model to images, and a framework for face identification. In this framework, faces are represented by model parameters for 3D shape and texture. We present results obtained with 4,488 images from the publicly available CMU-PIE database and 1,940 images from the FERET database. Index Terms—Face recognition, shape estimation, deformable model, 3D faces, pose invariance, illumination invariance. æ 1

This paper describes a technique for building compact models of the shape and appearance of flexible objects (such as organs) seen in 2-D images. The models are derived from the statistics of sets of labelled images of examples of the objects.

In this paper, we describe a method for finding the pose of an object from a single image. We assume that we can detect and match in the image four or more noncoplanar feature points of the object, and that we know their relative geometry on the object. The method combines two algorithms

We describe 'Active Shape Models ' which iteratively adapt to refine estimates of the pose, scale and shape of models of image objects. The method uses flexible models derived from sets of training examples. These models, known as Point Distribution Models, represent objects as sets of labelled points. An initial estimate of the location of the model points in an image is improved by attempting to move each point to a better position nearby. Adjustments to the pose variables and shape parameters are calculated. Limits are placed on the shape parameters ensuring that the example can only deform into shapes conforming to global constraints imposed by the training set. An iterative procedure deforms the model example to find the best fit to the image object. Results of applying the method are described. The technique is shown to be a powerful method for refining estimates of object shape and location. 1

A pictorial structure is a collection of parts arranged in a deformable configuration. Each part is represented using a simple appearance model and the deformable configuration is represented by spring-like connections between pairs of parts. While pictorial structures were introduced a number of years ago, they have not been broadly applied to matching and recognition problems. This has been due in part to the computational difficulty of matching pictorial structures to images. In this paper we present an efficient algorithm for finding the best global match of a pictorial structure to an image. The running time of the algorithm is optimal and it it takes only a few seconds to match a model with ve to ten parts. With this improved algorithm, pictorial structures provide a practical and powerful framework for qualitative descriptions of objects and scenes, and are suitable for many generic image recognition problems. We illustrate the approach using simple models of a person and a car.

Our goal is to reconstruct both the shape and reflectance properties of surfaces from multiple images. We argue that an object-centered representation is most appropriate for this purpose because it naturally accommodates multiple sources of data, multiple images (including motion sequences of a rigid object), and self-occlusions. We then present a specific objectcentered reconstruction method and its implementation. The method begins with an initial estimate of surface shape provided, for example, by triangulating the result of conventional stereo. The surface shape and reflectance properties are then iteratively adjusted to minimize an objective function that combines information from multiple input images. The objective function is a weighted sum of stereo, shading, and smoothness components, where the weight varies over the surface. For example, the stereo component is weighted more strongly where the surface projects onto highly textured areas in the images, and less strongly othe...

A key component of a mobile robot system is the ability to localize itself accurately and build a map of the environment simultaneously. In this paper, a vision-based mobile robot localization and mapping algorithm is described which uses scale-invariant image features as landmarks in unmodi ed dynamic environments. These 3D landmarks are localized and robot ego-motion is estimated by matching them, taking into account the feature viewpoint variation. With our Triclops stereo vision system, experiments show that these features are robustly matched between views, 3D landmarks are tracked, robot pose is estimated and a 3D map is built.

Optical flow provides a constraint on the motion of a deformable model. We derive and solve a dynamic system incorporating flow as a hard constraint, producing a model-based least-squares optical flow solution. Our solution also ensures the constraint remains satisfied when combined with edge information, which helps combat tracking error accumulation. Constraint enforcement can be relaxed using a Kalman filter, which permits controlled constraint violations based on the noise present in the optical flow information, and enables optical flow and edge information to be combined more robustly and efficiently. We apply this framework to the estimation of face shape and motion using a 3D deformable face model. This model uses a small number of parameters to describe a rich variety of face shapes and facial expressions. We present experiments in extracting the shape and motion of a face from image sequences which validate the accuracy of the method. They also demonstrate that our treatment of optical flow as a hard constraint, as well as our use of a Kalman filter to reconcile these constraints with the uncertainty in the optical flow, are vital for improving the performance of our system. 1