Regressing local to global shape properties for online segmentation and tracking

Abstract

We propose a regression based learning framework that learns a set of shapes online, which can then be used to recover occluded object shapes. We represent shapes using their 2D discrete cosine transforms, and the key insight we propose is to regress low frequency harmonics, which represent the global properties of the shape, from high frequency harmonics, that encode the details of the object's shape. We learn the regression model using Locally Weighted Projection Regression (LWPR) which expedites online, incremental learning. After sufficient observation of a set of unoccluded shapes, the learned model can detect occlusion and recover the full shapes from the occluded ones. We demonstrate the ideas using a level-set based tracking system that provides shape and pose, however, the framework could be embedded in any segmentation-based tracking system. Our experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the method on a variety of objects using both real data and artificial data.