When skeletalised or semi-skeletalised remains are discovered there is often no identifying evidence available. In these cases, facial reconstruction techniques are employed to re-create a pre-mortem likeness of the deceased in the hope of developing new leads towards achieving the positive identification of the deceased. This work is a thorough investigation into the feasibility of using volume graphics techniques to perform the facial reconstruction of skeletal remains. The main contributions are: (i) A critical review of existing methods for facial reconstruction and soft tissue depth measurement. The aim of this study is to determine which factors contribute most to the inaccuracy of current reconstruction methods; (ii) The detailed design of a pipeline for the reconstruction of facial features using volume graphics techniques; (iii) A new approach for extracting corresponding anatomical feature points from two volumetrically-defined skulls; (iv) A new algorithm for the smooth and accurate deformation of volumetric data; (v) The evaluation of the new reconstruction pipeline with real-life skeletal samples. This research clearly illustrates the feasibility and potential usefulness of using volume graphics as the basis for a computer-based facial reconstruction technique. Parts of this research have been presented by the candidate at "Eurographics UK 1996" (Imperial College, London), and "International Workshop on Volume Graphics 1999" (Swansea, United Kingdom). It has also been published in 'Forensic Science International' and "Volume Graphics" (Springer-Verlag, London).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:638189 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Michael, S. D. |
| Publisher | Swansea University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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