Elsevier

Neurocomputing

Volume 69, Issues 1–3, December 2005, Pages 250-256
Neurocomputing

Letters
View-independent person identification from human gait

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2005.06.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Based on a three-dimensional (3D) linear model and the Bayesian rule, a method is explored to identify human walkers from two-dimensional (2D) motion sequences taken from different viewpoints. Principal component analysis constructs the 3D linear model from a set of Fourier represented examples. The sets of coefficients derived from projecting 2D motion sequences onto the 3D model by means of a maximum a posterior estimate is used as a signature of a walker. Simulating an identification experiment on a set of walking data we show that these signatures show invariance across viewpoints and can be used for viewpoint-independent person identification.

Introduction

Human gait contains biometric signatures that can be used for person identification [2]. Most practical application fields cannot rely on constant viewing conditions but require viewpoint independent approaches. A number of researchers have addressed the problem. For instance, Shakhnarovich et al. [4] developed a view-normalization recognition algorithm by synthesizing virtual sequences rendered from canonical viewpoints. Their recognition is based on image sequences from multiple cameras, instead of one image sequence. Grauman et al. [3] reconstructed a visual hull from a contour-based representation of human gait. Then, they used the visual hull to infer the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the human body in terms of its major joints. Even though 3D structure in terms of 19 joint locations could be reconstructed from pedestrian sequences, it had to be inferred from the viewpoint of four known training positions, not from an unknown viewpoint. Furthermore, it is not clear how well the algorithm would perform in a person identification task as this was not a subject of the study.

Here, we explore a view-independent gait identification method, which is motivated by a linear model of human gait [5], [6]. Human gait is a cyclic motion and can be approximated by a Fourier expansion. Applying principal components analysis (PCA) to the Fourier representation we obtain a low-dimensional basis for our linear model. A gait signature of a two-dimensional (2D) motion sequence is defined as its projective coefficients, calculated using a Bayesian approach to obtain a maximum a posterior (MAP) estimate. The performance of identification of 2D projections from different viewpoints is quantitatively evaluated by means of a cross-validation procedure.

Section snippets

Linear model

Using an optical motion capture system (Vicon, Oxford Metrics, 120 Hz), we acquire human walking data as a time series of postures sn(t):t=1,2,,Tn,n=1,2,,N specified by the locations of 15 discrete markers representing the main joints of the human body [5]. N is the number of walkers and Tn is the number of postures for walker n. Because each joint has three coordinates in 3D space, a posture s is a 45-dimensional vector. Using a second-order Fourier expansion, we can represent a time series s(

Gait signature

Analogous to the 3D Fourier representation, a 2D motion sequence s^(t):t=1,2,,T has the following 2D Fourier representation:w^=(p^0,p^1,q^1,p^2,q^2).

The average posture p^0, and the characteristic postures p^1, q^1, p^2, and q^2 are 30-dimensional vectors containing 2D coordinates of the 15 markers, so the 2D Fourier representation w^ is a 150-dimensional vector.

Approximating a 3D Fourier representation of a walker by a linear combination of J eigenwalkers e1,,eJ, the corresponding

Experiment

Using walking data acquired with an optical marker-based motion capture system (see [5] for details) we conducted cross-validated simulations on a data set of 80 walkers using six different learning views and a large number of testing views. All 2D views were orthographic projections of the 3D walkers. Because human walking is a symmetric motion and the elevation angle is not very large in practical applications, we chose all views within a range of 0° (frontal) to 90° for azimuth angle α and

Conclusions

This paper proposes a view-independent gait identification method, based on a linear model and a Bayesian approach. The model is constructed by submitting a set of Fourier representations of human walking to a principal component analysis. The calculation of gait signatures uses prior information to reduce ambiguity in a Bayesian framework. We evaluate this method quantitatively using walking data from different viewpoints. Results show generally very high performance. Furthermore, they suggest

Zonghua Zhang received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Tianjin University in 1992, 1998 and 2000, respectively. Then, he was a post-doctorate at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Tianjin University from December 2000 to October 2002. During April 2002 and September 2002, he was a research assistant at the Department of Computing of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, he was a post doctoral researcher in the BioMotionLab at Ruhr University in

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Zonghua Zhang received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Tianjin University in 1992, 1998 and 2000, respectively. Then, he was a post-doctorate at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Tianjin University from December 2000 to October 2002. During April 2002 and September 2002, he was a research assistant at the Department of Computing of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, he was a post doctoral researcher in the BioMotionLab at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany and later at Queen's University, Ontario, Canada. In 2005 he came to Heriot-Watt University where he is a research associate now. His research experiences include 3D imaging and modeling, human motion analysis, digital signal and image processing, and computer graphics.

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Nikolaus Troje received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg, Germany, in 1994. Between 1994 and 1997 he worked as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen where he studied human face recognition and established the Max Planck Face Database. After 2 years at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, he recieved the prestigious Volkswagen Young Researcher's Award and set up the BioMotionLab at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. In 2003 he moved back to Queen's University where he is now a professor of psychology and Computer Science and a Canada Research Chair in Vision and Behavioural Sciences.

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