Fast Face Finding

Abstract: Face detection is a classical application of object detection. There are many practical applications in which face detection is the first step; face recognition, video surveillance, image database management, video coding. This report presents the results of an implementation of the AdaBoost algorithm to train a Strong Classifier to be used for face detection. The AdaBoost algorithm is fast and shows a low false detection rate, two characteristics which are important for face detection algorithms. The application is an implementation of the AdaBoost algorithm with several command-line executables that support testing of the algorithm. The training and detection algorithms are separated from the rest of the application by a well defined interface to allow reuse as a software library. The source code is documented using the JavaDoc-standard, and CppDoc is then used to produce detailed information on classes and relationships in html format. The implemented algorithm is found to produce relatively high detection rate and low false alarm rate, considering the badly suited training data used.