Direction-Aware Hybrid Representation Learning for 3D Hand Pose and Shape Estimation

by jsendak | Apr 3, 2025 | AI

arXiv:2504.01298v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Most model-based 3D hand pose and shape estimation methods directly regress the parametric model parameters from an image to obtain 3D joints under weak supervision. However, these methods involve solving a complex optimization problem with many local minima, making training difficult. To address this challenge, we propose learning direction-aware hybrid features (DaHyF) that fuse implicit image features and explicit 2D joint coordinate features. This fusion is enhanced by the pixel direction information in the camera coordinate system to estimate pose, shape, and camera viewpoint. Our method directly predicts 3D hand poses with DaHyF representation and reduces jittering during motion capture using prediction confidence based on contrastive learning. We evaluate our method on the FreiHAND dataset and show that it outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods by more than 33% in accuracy. DaHyF also achieves the top ranking on both the HO3Dv2 and HO3Dv3 leaderboards for the metric of Mean Joint Error (after scale and translation alignment). Compared to the second-best results, the largest improvement observed is 10%. We also demonstrate its effectiveness in real-time motion capture scenarios with hand position variability, occlusion, and motion blur.
The article “Learning Direction-Aware Hybrid Features for 3D Hand Pose and Shape Estimation” addresses the challenges faced by model-based 3D hand pose and shape estimation methods. These methods typically rely on regressing parametric model parameters from an image to obtain 3D joints, but this involves solving a complex optimization problem with many local minima, making training difficult. To overcome this challenge, the authors propose a novel approach called learning direction-aware hybrid features (DaHyF) that combines implicit image features and explicit 2D joint coordinate features. By incorporating pixel direction information in the camera coordinate system, the proposed method is able to estimate hand pose, shape, and camera viewpoint. Additionally, the method reduces jittering during motion capture using prediction confidence based on contrastive learning. The authors evaluate their method on the FreiHAND dataset and demonstrate that it outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods by more than 33% in accuracy. Furthermore, DaHyF achieves the top ranking on both the HO3Dv2 and HO3Dv3 leaderboards for the metric of Mean Joint Error. The article also showcases the effectiveness of DaHyF in real-time motion capture scenarios with hand position variability, occlusion, and motion blur.

Exploring the Power of Direction-Aware Hybrid Features in 3D Hand Pose Estimation

In the field of computer vision, 3D hand pose and shape estimation is a challenging task that has applications in various domains such as virtual reality, motion capture, and human-computer interaction. The traditional approach involves regressing parametric model parameters directly from an image to obtain 3D joint coordinates. However, this approach poses several difficulties, such as the presence of a complex optimization problem with numerous local minima, making training of the model challenging.

To overcome these challenges, a team of researchers has proposed an innovative solution called Direction-Aware Hybrid Features (DaHyF). This technique aims to improve the accuracy of 3D hand pose estimation by fusing implicit image features with explicit 2D joint coordinate features, leveraging pixel direction information in the camera coordinate system.

The key idea behind DaHyF is to create a representation that captures both the visual information present in the image and the geometric information provided by the joint coordinates. By combining these two types of data, the model becomes more robust and capable of estimating not only hand pose and shape but also the camera viewpoint.

One of the major advantages of DaHyF is that it directly predicts the 3D hand poses using the fusion of hybrid features. This eliminates the need for intermediate steps, reducing jittering during motion capture. Additionally, DaHyF utilizes prediction confidence based on contrastive learning, which further enhances the accuracy of the estimated poses.

To evaluate the performance of DaHyF, the researchers conducted experiments on the FreiHAND dataset. The results showed that their method outperforms the existing state-of-the-art techniques by an impressive 33% in accuracy. Moreover, DaHyF achieved the top ranking on both the HO3Dv2 and HO3Dv3 leaderboards for the Mean Joint Error metric, with a remarkable improvement of 10% compared to the second-best results.

Beyond the impressive quantitative results, the researchers also demonstrated the effectiveness of DaHyF in real-time motion capture scenarios. This includes situations with hand position variability, occlusion, and motion blur. The robustness and accuracy of DaHyF make it a promising solution for various applications that require precise 3D hand pose estimation.

Conclusion

The proposed Direction-Aware Hybrid Features (DaHyF) approach offers a novel solution to the challenges of 3D hand pose and shape estimation. By fusing implicit image features with explicit 2D joint coordinate features and leveraging pixel direction information, DaHyF achieves remarkable accuracy and outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods. The ability to predict 3D hand poses directly using DaHyF representation reduces jittering during motion capture, making it highly suitable for real-time applications. With its excellent performance in challenging scenarios, DaHyF opens up exciting possibilities for advancements in virtual reality, motion capture, and human-computer interaction.

The paper titled “Learning Direction-Aware Hybrid Features for 3D Hand Pose and Shape Estimation” addresses the challenge of accurately estimating 3D hand poses and shapes from 2D images. The authors highlight that existing methods often struggle with the complex optimization problem involved in regressing the parametric model parameters, leading to training difficulties and suboptimal results.

To overcome these challenges, the authors propose a novel approach called DaHyF (Direction-Aware Hybrid Features). DaHyF combines implicit image features with explicit 2D joint coordinate features, leveraging pixel direction information in the camera coordinate system. By fusing these different types of features, DaHyF aims to improve the accuracy of pose, shape, and camera viewpoint estimation.

One notable aspect of the proposed method is its ability to directly predict 3D hand poses using the DaHyF representation. This not only simplifies the overall pipeline but also reduces jittering during motion capture. The authors achieve this by incorporating prediction confidence based on contrastive learning, which helps to mitigate the effects of noise and uncertainty in the training data.

The authors evaluate the performance of their method on the FreiHAND dataset, comparing it against existing state-of-the-art methods. The results demonstrate that DaHyF outperforms these methods by more than 33% in terms of accuracy. Additionally, DaHyF achieves the top ranking on both the HO3Dv2 and HO3Dv3 leaderboards for the Mean Joint Error metric, surpassing the second-best results by 10%.

Furthermore, the authors showcase the effectiveness of DaHyF in real-time motion capture scenarios that involve challenges such as hand position variability, occlusion, and motion blur. This suggests that the proposed method is robust and practical, making it suitable for various applications in computer vision, human-computer interaction, and virtual reality.

In terms of future directions, it would be interesting to see how DaHyF performs on other benchmark datasets and its generalizability to different hand shapes and sizes. Additionally, exploring the potential of DaHyF in other related tasks, such as hand gesture recognition or hand-object interaction, could further expand its applicability and impact in the field.
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