Gesture serves as a crucial means of communication between individuals and between humans and machines. In football matches, referees communicate judgment information through gestures. Due to the diversity and complexity of referees’ gestures and interference factors, such as the players, spectators, and camera angles, automated football referee gesture recognition (FRGR) has become a challenging task. The existing methods based on visual sensors often cannot provide a satisfactory performance. To tackle FRGR problems, we develop a deep learning model based on YOLOv8s. Three improving and optimizing strategies are integrated to solve these problems. First, a Global Attention Mechanism (GAM) is employed to direct the model’s attention to the hand gestures and minimize the background interference. Second, a P2 detection head structure is integrated into the YOLOv8s model to enhance the accuracy of detecting smaller objects at a distance. Third, a new loss function based on the Minimum Point Distance Intersection over Union (MPDIoU) is used to effectively utilize anchor boxes with the same shape, but different sizes. Finally, experiments are executed on a dataset of six hand gestures among 1,200 images. The proposed method was compared with seven different existing models and 10 different optimization models. The proposed method achieves a precision rate of 89.3%, a recall rate of 88.9%, a mAP@0.5 rate of 89.9%, and a mAP@0.5:0.95 rate of 77.3%. These rates are approximately 1.4%, 2.0%, 1.1%, and 5.4% better than those of the newest YOLOv8s, respectively. The proposed method has right prospect in automated gesture recognition for football matches.
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Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
Armed with a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in his field, Dr. Lowemann has consistently been at the forefront of research and innovation, delving into ways to optimize human performance, cognition, and overall well-being. His work at the Institute revolves around a profound commitment to harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to help individuals lead more fulfilling and intelligent lives.
Dr. Lowemann’s influence extends to the educational platform BetterSmarter.me, where he shares his insights, findings, and personal development strategies with a broader audience. His ongoing mission is shaping the way we perceive and leverage the vast capacities of the human mind, offering invaluable contributions to society’s overall success and collective well-being.