Abstract

The aim of this work is to carry out a comparative study of face-recognition methods for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) applications. The analyzed methods are selected by considering their suitability for HRI use, and their performance in former comparative studies. The methods are compared using standard databases and a new database for HRI applications. The comparative study includes aspects such as variable illumination, facial expression variations, face occlusions, and variable eye detection accuracy, which directly influence face alignment precision. The results of this comparative study are intended to be a guide for developers of face recognition systems for HRI, and they have direct application in the RoboCup@Home league. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.