Research

How It Works

Dynaface builds on three neural networks, all run locally through ONNX Runtime:

ModelRoleLicense
BlazeFace (short-range)Face bounding-box detectionApache-2.0 (MediaPipe)
SPIGA (WFLW-98)98-point landmarks and head poseBSD-3-Clause
U²-NetBackground/saliency removal for lateral viewsApache-2.0

Research Using Dynaface

Dynaface has been used in peer-reviewed medical research to quantify oral-ocular synkinesis and to study how AI-derived facial metrics relate to patient-reported outcomes. If you use Dynaface in academic work, please cite:

  • Renne, A., Heaton, J., & Boahene, K. D. O. (2026). Associations of AI-based facial metrics with patient-reported outcomes in idiopathic facial paralysis. Laryngoscope. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.70417
  • Renne, A., Heaton, J., Derakhshan, A., Nellis, J. C., Desai, S. C., & Boahene, K. D. (2025). Use of dynamic, automated facial analysis in quantifying oral-ocular synkinesis. Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/26893614251395737
  • Berges, A. J., Renne, A., Heaton, J., Leung, D. G., & Boahene, K. D. (2025). Facial weakness in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: Objective and patient-reported measures to guide reconstructive interventions. Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine, Article 26893614251407675. https://doi.org/10.1177/26893614251407675

A BibTeX entry is available in CITATION.bib. Please also cite the original authors of the three neural networks listed above; their references are in the project README.