Two new methods for facial expression recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks

In this research, we propose two novel methods for facial expression recognition to improve the accuracy of recognition. The first of our novel approach is to add the Batch Normalization (BN) layer to the CNN model, and the second of the novel approach is to preprocess the image before image training, such as rotating image, cropping the image and adding Gaussian noise in the picture, especially it is beneficial for unbalanced classifications. Our model consists of 3 CNN layers, 3 BN layers, three average-pooling layers, and three fully-connected layers; our model has a satisfying performance on the prediction category after adopting the two methods mentioned above. Our CNN model is trained and tested with Kaggle facial expression recognition challenge databases. The implemented system can automatically recognize seven expressions in real-time: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, neutral, sadness, and sur-prise. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.