A Robust Matching Algorithm for Active Appearance Models

Reinhard Beichel, Horst Bischof, Georg Langs, Milan Sonka

Abstract: This paper proposes a method for robustly matching active appearance models (AAMs) on images with gross disturbances (outliers). The method consists of two steps. First, an initial residual is calculated by comparing model and image appearance, and modes of the residual are analyzed. Second, all possible mode combinations are tested by evaluating an objective function. The objective function allows the selection of an outlier-free mode combination. Experiments demonstrate the ability of the robust matching method to successfully cope with outliers — compared to standard AAM matching, no degeneration of the model during matching occurs.