The Science of Face Generation

Advancements in facial recognition are not the only interesting face-related technologies making some astounding leaps these days. Driven by demand out of Hollywood, start-ups like Image Metrics are now taking the first steps to generate near perfect artificial faces that can be animated in real-time. The technology gives actors the ability to effortlessly bring digital characters to life with astounding realism; transferring every muscle movement and twitch to their digital puppet-selves.

For a look at what’s possible, check out this demo reel:



Hollywood and the gaming industry won’t have a monopoly on this technology though. I fear that these same tools might be used to undermine the evidentiary value of traditional surveillance video and even perpetrate new kinds of identity theft. When faces and bodies can be swapped in an out of video clips with this level of ease, and interactions that never existed in the real world can be recorded to video using only a laptop, it will be come even more critical that law enforcement find ways to separate face-fact from face-fiction.

Hollywood’s New Look

It seems that video surveillance has become so prevalent that even movie producers are depicting life from the eye of the camera. Whether this is a hit or a flop doesn't really matter--the film itself is a statement of how pervasive cameras have become.

Movie director Adam Rifkin poses in New York, Monday Oct. 29 , 2007. His new film "Look," was created entirely from the perspective of surveillance cameras. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)