The science of expression.(facial recognition)(Brief Article)

Researchers from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are using 3D scanning technology to enable computers to recognize and respond to facial expressions. The furrowed eyebrow of someone viewing an online tutorial could someday spur a program to offer support, for example, or shifting glances from people being interrogated by police could cause another program to identify probable liars.

Studies contributing to facial-expression recognition programs often involve breaking down prototypical expressions (happy, sad, fear, and anger) according to muscle movements. But the expressions typically are studied using 2D photographs or video images that don't always paint a complete picture.

Researchers at Beckman, however, use dynamic scanning to capture 3D images in rapid succession, revealing time-dependent changes often lost with static images, says Jesse Spencer-Smith, Beckman Fellow and principal investigator. As an example, the subtle differences between a ...