A computer program that ages photographic images of people’s faces has been developed by Concordia University’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

Most face-aged images are currently rendered by forensic artists. Although these artists are trained in the anatomy and geometry of faces, they rely on art rather than science.

“We pioneered a novel technique that combines two previous approaches, known as active appearance models (AAMs) and support vector regression (SVR),” says Khoa Luu, a PhD candidate.

Luu used a combination of AAMs and SVR methods to interpret faces and to “teach” aging rules to the computer. Then, he input information from a database of facial characteristics of siblings and parents taken over an extended period. Using this data, the computer can predict an individual’s facial appearance at a future period.

According to Luu, this technology could serve as a new tool in missing-child investigations and matters of national security — an advance that could help to identify missing kids and criminals on the lam.

Luu’s work appears in the volume series Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

Adapted from materials provided by Concordia University