Granule-based-classifier (GbC): a lattice computing scheme applied on tree data structures – Mathematics, vol. 9, no. 22, 2889, 2021

Social robots keep proliferating. A critical challenge remains their sensible interaction with humans, especially in real world applications. Hence, computing with real world semantics is instrumental. Recently, the Lattice Computing (LC) paradigm has been proposed with a capacity to compute with semantics represented by partial order in a mathematical lattice data domain. In the aforementioned context, this work proposes a parametric LC classifier, namely a Granule-based-Classifier (GbC), applicable in a mathematical lattice (T,⊑) of tree data structures, each of which represents a human face. A tree data structure here emerges from 68 facial landmarks (points) computed in a data preprocessing step by the OpenFace software. The proposed (tree) representation retains human anonymity during data processing. Extensive computational experiments regarding three different pattern recognition problems, namely (1) head orientation, (2) facial expressions, and (3) human face recognition, demonstrate GbC capacities, including good classification results, and a common human face representation in different pattern recognition problems, as well as data induced granular rules in (T,⊑) that allow for (a) explainable decision-making, (b) tunable generalization enabled also by formal logic/reasoning techniques, and (c) an inherent capacity for modular data fusion extensions. The potential of the proposed techniques is discussed.