Postdoctoral student Menglei Chai and collaborators at Zhejiang University can create three-dimensional (3-D) models of any hairstyle, solely from a photo. The researchers say their approach combines the latest in machine learning with the latest in hair growth simulation. "These 3-D models are composed of individual hair strands grown from the head scalp, just like what real hairs are," Chai says.
The team first scanned Flickr for 100,000 portraits, and then manually trained the program by marking hair segments. They then modeled the growth of individual strands of hair from these segments. The researchers report this segmentation and hair growth information was essentially cross-referenced against hundreds of 3-D hair models from "The Sims."
Chai says the technology, called AutoHair, is a little biased toward the asymmetrical cuts typical in anime and video games, but it generates a believable approximation of what someone's entire head of hair looks like. Chai believes AutoHair could make its way into salons in the future, but he also says the technology has a lot of potential in avatar creation.
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