Graduation Year

2018

Date of Submission

4-2018

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Computer Science

Reader 1

Alexandra Papoutsaki

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

2018 Alexander PS Clemens

Abstract

Face detection refers to a number of techniques that identify faces in images and videos. As part of the senior project exercise at Pomona College, I explore the process of face detection using a JavaScript library called CLMtrackr. CLMtrackr works in any browser and detects faces within the video stream captured by a webcam. The focus of this paper is to explore the shortcomings in the inclusivity of the CLMtrackr library and consequently that of face detection. In my research, I have used two datasets that contain human faces with diverse backgrounds, in order to assess the accuracy of CLMtrackr. The two datasets are the MUCT and PPB. In addition, I investigate whether skin color is a key factor in determining face detection's success, to ascertain where and why a face might not be recognized within an image. While my research and work produced some inconclusive results due to a small sample size and a couple outliers in my outputs, it is clear that there is a trends toward the CLMtrackr algorithm recognizing faces with lighter skin tones more often than darker ones.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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