An automated facial pose estimation using surface curvature and tetrahedral structure of a nose

This paper introduces an automated 3D face pose estimation method using the tetrahedral structure of a nose. This method is based on the feature points extracted from a face surface using curvature descriptors. A nose is the most protruding component in a 3D face image. A nose shape that is composed of the feature points such as a nasion, nose tip, nose base, and nose lobes, and is similar to a tetrahedron. Face pose can be estimated by fitting the tetrahedron to the coordinate axes. Each feature point can be localized by curvature descriptors. This method can be established using nasion, nose tip, and nose base. It can be applied to face tracking and face recognition.