3D Face Reconstruction: the Road to Forensics

TL;DR

This survey explores the potential and limitations of 3D face reconstruction algorithms in forensic applications, analyzing current achievements, challenges, and data sets to assess their suitability for legal evidence.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of 3D face reconstruction in forensics, clarifying its relationship with biometrics and proposing improvements in data sets and methodologies.

Findings

Current algorithms achieve promising results from surveillance videos and mugshots.

Significant obstacles hinder the adoption of 3D face reconstruction as forensic evidence.

Alternative data sets are proposed to overcome limitations of existing resources.

Abstract

3D face reconstruction algorithms from images and videos are applied to many fields, from plastic surgery to the entertainment sector, thanks to their advantageous features. However, when looking at forensic applications, 3D face reconstruction must observe strict requirements that still make its possible role in bringing evidence to a lawsuit unclear. An extensive investigation of the constraints, potential, and limits of its application in forensics is still missing. Shedding some light on this matter is the goal of the present survey, which starts by clarifying the relation between forensic applications and biometrics, with a focus on face recognition. Therefore, it provides an analysis of the achievements of 3D face reconstruction algorithms from surveillance videos and mugshot images and discusses the current obstacles that separate 3D face reconstruction from an active role in forensic applications. Finally, it examines the underlying data sets, with their advantages and limitations, while proposing alternatives that could substitute or complement them.