They still, however, cannot cope with changes due to lighting and cannot detect disguises. Both of these issues are critical for the employment of face recognition systems in high security applications, such as embassy perimeters, federal plazas, and the like. We propose novel imaging solutions that address these difficult problems. We demonstrate with theoretical and experimental arguments that a dual-band fusion system in the near infrared can segment human faces much more accurately than traditional visible band face detection systems.
Face detection is useful by itself as an early warning method in certain surveillance applications.
Accurate face delineation can also improve the performance of face recognition systems in certain difficult scenarios, particularly in outside environments. This is attributable to the unique and universal properties of the human skin in this sub-band. We conclude the paper with a description of our ongoing and future efforts. 15-24, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, June 16, 2000.