Simultaneous x, y Pixel Estimation and Feature Extraction for Multiple Small Objects in a Scene: A Description of the ALIEN Network

We present a deep-learning network that detects multiple small objects (hundreds to thousands) in a scene while simultaneously estimating their x,y pixel locations together with a characteristic feature-set (for instance, target orientation and color). All estimations are performed in a single, forward pass which makes implementing the network fast and efficient. In this paper, we describe the architecture of our network — nicknamed ALIEN — and detail its performance when applied to vehicle detection.