| Abstract: | Previous researchin automatic facial expression recognition has been limited to recognition of gross expression categories
(e.g., joy or anger) in posed facial behavior under well-controlled conditions (e.g., frontal pose and minimal out-of-plane
head motion). We have developed a system that detects a discrete and important facial action (e.g., eye blinking) in spontaneously
occurring facial behavior that has been measured with a nonfrontal pose, moderate out-of-plane head motion, and occlusion.
The system recovers three-dimensional motion parameters, stabilizes facial regions, extracts motion and appearance information,
and recognizes discrete facial actions in spontaneous facial behavior. We tested the system in video data from a two-person
interview. The 10 subjects were ethnically diverse, action units occurred during speech, and out-of-plane motion and occlusion
from head motion and glasses were common. The video data were originally collected to answer substantive questions in psychology
and represent a substantial challenge to automated action unit recognition. In analysis of blinks, the system achieved 98%
accuracy. |
