The primary objective of this Phase I Small Business Innovation Research project from Genex Technologies, Inc. is to investigate the feasibility of building, for the first time, an automatic 3D Face-ID (3D-FID) system with sophisticated 3D face matching capability using a novel 3D camera. What is meant by 3D camera is an electronic 3D imaging device that is able to produce digital 3D profile measurement of a human face in one snap shot. Unlike the conventional Face-ID system that use only 2D gray-scale images, the 3D face image available in Genex Technologies' system provides accurate geometric information that makes the Face-ID much more accurate and efficient. The human face is a three-dimensional (3D) object, and each face has its unique 3D surface profile. The 3D features and surface profile on a human face can be used for a rapid and accurate face identification (Face-ID). Due to lack of low-cost 3D imaging devices and effective 3D Face-ID algorithms, however, almost all existing Face-ID systems use only 2D gray-scale face images as their input. The 2D images are inherently vulnerable to changes in light condition and face orientation, because they cannot preserve the 3D geometric structure of a face. This fundamental restriction greatly limits the capability of current Face-ID systems in effectively performing face recognition functions. As a result, the match-rate for existing Face-ID systems in real-world applications is very low (below 90%). The key components of the proposed 3D-FID system include (1) a novel 3D camera that is able to acquire both 2D and 3D facial images in real-time; (2) software based on an efficient 3D face identification algorithm; (3) 2D and 3D facial image database; and (4) a user-interface. The commercial market for automatic face identification systems is sizable, and applications are numerous, including those in both military and civilian areas. Security and ATM machines can use Face-ID to verify the identity of bankcard users, saving millions of dollars in false claim of cardholdership. Computer access control can use a Face-ID system instead of password to grant authority for computer usage. Law enforcement agents can use a Face-ID system to preselect and nail down fugitives based on their images. Military can use the Face-ID system to control access to restricted areas. Valuable properties such as cars or boats could use the 3D-FID system to identify their owners. The low cost 3D camera can also be used for many other applications, such as manufactured parts inspection, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and virtual reality. The rapid advances in video-conferencing and interactive television further broaden possible applications of 3D imaging technologies.
