A robust learning algorithm based on SURF and PSM for facial expression recognition

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel machine-learning framework for facial-expression recognition, which is capable of processing images fast and accurately even without having to rely on a large-scale dataset. The framework is derived from Support Vector Machines (SVMs) but distinguishes itself in three key ways. First, the measure of the samples normalization is based on the Perturbed Subspace Method (PSM), which is an effective way to improve the robustness of a training system. Second, the framework adopts SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) as features, which is more suitable for dealing with real-time situations. Third, we use region attributes to revise incorrectly detected visual features (described by invisible image attributes at segmented regions of the image). Combining these approaches, the proposed method has the following beneficial properties. First, the efficiency of machine learning can be improved. Experiments show that the proposed approach is capable of reducing the number of samples effectively, resulting in an obvious reduction in training time. Second, the recognition accuracy is comparable to state-of-the-art algorithms.