Fingertips tracking algorithm for guitarist based on temporal grouping and pattern analysis

This paper proposes a temporal Grouping and pattern analysis-based algorithm that could track the fingertips of guitarists during their guitar playing towards the actualization of the automatic guitar fingering recognition system. First a machine learning-based Bayesian Pixel Classifier is used to segment the hand area on the test data. Then, the probability map of fingertip is generated on the segmentation results by counting the voting numbers of the Template Matching and Reversed Hough Transform. Furthermore, a temporal Grouping algorithm, which is a geometry analysis for consecutive frames, is applied to removal noise and group the same fingertips (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger). Then, a data association algorithm is utilized to associate 4 tracked fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) with their correspondent tracked results frame by frame. Finally, particles are distributed only between the associated fingertip candidates to track the fingertips of guitarist effectively. The experimental result demonstrates that this fingertip tracking algorithm is robust enough for tracking fingertips (1) without any constrains such us color marker; (2) under the complex contexts, such us complicated background, different illumination conditions, (3) with the high tracking accuracy (mean error 3.36 pixels for four fingertips).