Estimation of group attention for automated camerawork

In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the group attention that is the focus of attention of multiple people. It utilizes the face direction as 3D vectors and estimates the position of group attention defined as the intersection of the multiple vectors. As a result, the position of the group attention can be represented as an arbitrary 3D position unlike other research in which only registered objects can be the focus of attention. As experiments, the group attention at word-chain game is estimated and the feasibility of the method is confirmed. We applied the proposed method to video conferencing, and developed the attention tracking system which acquires the group attention in real-time.