A team of researchers at the Air Force Institute of Technology has developed a prototype of a camera system designed to detect and locate individuals during surveillance, aerial search-and-rescue missions through skin detection, the Air Force reported Friday.
The multispectral camera platform works to distinguish human skin from common materials through the skin’s melanin content, Sandy Simison writes.
“Since melanin is the primary element contributing to skin’s color, it’s a valuable piece of information to extract,” said Michael Mendenhall, lead researcher at AFIT.
The research team plans to integrate mirror-like reflection that emanates from the skin with the algorithms for the camera system and consider in the future the presence of hair on the skin in an effort to improve skin color detection.