Real-time face detection on a dual-sensor smart camera using smooth-edges technique

In this paper, we propose a new feature-based approach to detect and track faces in real-time applications using a massively parallel processor architecture. Due to the fact that skin color is not a sufficient feature for detecting faces, our technique is based on a smooth-edges detection algorithm. The main advantage, when applied on luminance values, is that it’s robust against homogenous variations of the illuminating conditions. Our detection method is implemented on a very compact wireless smart camera. The algorithm uses the output image of two sensors of this camera. With data-fusion the false detection rate is significantly reduced. Key words: face detection, smooth edges, real-time, varying illumination, pattern recognition, smart camer