In this paper we present a new robust face tracking
method based on the Condensation algorithm [1, 2] that
uses a sampling based density representation. A twodimensional
color model is used to approximate the face
color. We modified the Condensation algorithm to provide
color adaptability to the abrupt change of illumination and
to the tracking of different colored people. According to
the face size and location uncertainty, the searching range
is automatically determined and it makes the algorithm
extremely robust and efficient.
The tracker operates at real-time and actively controls a
camera pan-tilt in order to locate a person’s face in the
center of the image. Experimental results show the
algorithm’s robustness to the agile motion of face and to
the dramatic change of illumination in the presence of
complex background.