History * reposted from Kyle McDonald’s Class Notes
Despite the fact that other methods of identification (such as fingerprints, or iris scans) can be more accurate, face recognition has always remains a major focus of research because of its non-invasive nature and because it is people’s primary method of person identification. (Tanzeem Choudhury)
As early as the 1960s, computers were aiding humans with face identification. Woodrow Bledsoe was one of the original researchers. In 1959 he worked on letter recognition using photocell mosaics at Sandia Corporation. In 1964/65 he worked with Helen Chan and Charles Bisson on the first face recognition algorithms at Panoramic Research, Inc. The algorithms were based on matching image that were manually marked up, so it worked but didn’t scale well. Not very much of this work was published, “because the funding was provided by an unnamed intelligence agency that did not allow much publicity”. This organization is now known to be the CIA, operating through the “King-Hurley Research group” front.
In 1988/89 researchers developed techniques for automatically recognizing faces if the face was already aligned and normalized. They used techniques like principal components analysis, and neural networks for classification. In 1991 this technique was extended to face detection.
One of the first databases to offer a baseline for comparing different algorithms was called The Facial Recognition Technology (FERET) Database. It was developed from 1993-1997 and is still in use today.
The goal of the FERET program was to develop automatic face recognition capabilities that could be employed to assist security, intelligence, and law enforcement personnel in the performance of their duties. … Total funding for the program was in excess of $6.5 million. (NIST)
This GIF shows the result of some code run on the database.
Face recognition became especially controversial in 2001:
The technology first captured the public’s attention from the media reaction to a trial implementation at the January 2001 Super Bowl, which captured surveillance images and compared them to a database of digital mugshots.
Sensory Manipulation of the Face
Daito Manabe
Daito Manabe is obsessed with the idea of expression transfer, and has spent a lot of time sensing and actuating expressions. He is best know for his work Electric Stimulus to Face -test3. He has also created multiple videos where he controls multiple faces in unison, either through video editing (electric stimulus to face -test4) or with simultaneous control (copy my facial expression into my friends’ -test 0).
Lauren McCarthy The Happiness Hat
The Happiness Hat by Lauren McCarthy trains the wearer to smile more. An enclosed bend sensor attaches to the cheek and measures smile size, a servo motor moves a metal spike into the head inversely proportional to the degree of smile. The smile size data is logged on a microSD memory card for download at the end of each use period.
Tactical Face Projects
Adam Harvey, CV Dazzle (2010)
CV Dazzle explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology, the first step in automated face recognition. It is a concept and strategy, not a pattern or product, and it is always designed relative to a specific algorithm and unique to each face.
Martayla Poellinitz Applications of CV Dazzle (2020)
Danielle Baskin
Danielle Baskin created a plastic mask in the shape of a face to unlock her iPhone XR. She plans to print faces on the masks in the future. You can get your face printed onto a face mask via Danielle’s company Maskalike
Face as Controller
Face-Powered Shooter by Lingdong Huang
facegames by Elliott Spelman
Control your computer with your face! Designed for users with spinal-cord injury, ALS, or other upper-mobility limitations. Try it here
The Eyewriter
Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities have teamed-up with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, named TEMPTONE. Tempt1 was diagnosed with ALS in 2003, a disease which has left him almost completely physically paralyzed… except for his eyes. This international team is working together to create a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system that will allow ALS patients to draw using just their eyes. The long-term goal is to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.
AR Face Filters
Sharing Faces by Kyle McDonald
“For eight months starting in October 2013 we shared photos between Anyang, Korea and Yamaguchi, Japan. Visiting the installation at either location would match your expression and pose in realtime with these photos of someone else who once stood in front of the installation. Thousands of people visited the work, and saw themselves reflected in the face of another person.”
Más Que la Cara by Zach Lieberman
Check out the project write up here
Max Bittker Shaderbooth.com
This is an interactive editor for making face filters with WebGL.
// The language below is called GLSL, you can edit it to change the effect.
// Press the arrows in the bottom right to see more examples!
https://handsfree.js.org/ref/model/weboji.html#usage
It’s always you – David Oreilly
Ines Alpha E-Makeup Artist
https://www.instagram.com/ines.alpha/?hl=en
BEFORE CLASS WEDNESDAY
1. Download Lens Studio, install using the defaults. (https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/download/)
2. If you don’t have a Snapchat account, or want to use a throw away account, make a Snapchat account. (Get the SnapChat app off of app store and create an account using the app)
3. Link the Snapchat account with Lens Studio (when you open up Lens Studio its the bright yellow button on the top right)
4. Download Snap Camera, install using the defaults. Snap Camera allows you to use Lens Studio effect as a virtual webcam, so you can have a filter on in Zoom. This is less important to have but it will be good for showing your lens in class. (https://snapcamera.snapchat.com/download/)
5. Consider what assets you want to make and bring in advance of our class Wed for your filter idea.
7. Please review this page and watch the video linked below
NEW LENSES: Experimental Capture and Release 
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