• Author(s): Ankan Bhunia, Changjian Li, Hakan Bilen

“Looking 3D: Anomaly Detection with 2D-3D Alignment” introduces a novel approach to anomaly detection by leveraging the alignment of 2D and 3D data. This method addresses the limitations of traditional 2D anomaly detection techniques, which often struggle to differentiate between subtle surface defects and normal textures due to the lack of depth information.


The proposed approach integrates 2D images with 3D point cloud data to enhance the accuracy and robustness of anomaly detection. By aligning 2D and 3D features, the method can effectively capture both the surface texture and the geometric structure of objects, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the inspected items. This alignment allows the model to identify anomalies that may not be apparent in 2D images alone.

One of the key innovations of this work is the use of a multi-modal alignment framework that combines the strengths of both 2D and 3D data. The framework employs a feature extraction process that captures detailed information from both modalities. These features are then aligned and fused to create a unified representation of the object, which is used for anomaly detection. This approach ensures that the model can leverage the complementary information provided by the 2D and 3D data, leading to more accurate and reliable anomaly detection.

The paper provides extensive experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The authors evaluate their approach on several benchmark datasets, including the MVTec 3D-AD dataset, and compare it with existing state-of-the-art techniques. The results show that the 2D-3D alignment method consistently outperforms traditional 2D-only methods in terms of both detection accuracy and robustness. The aligned features enable the model to detect anomalies that are difficult to identify using 2D data alone, particularly in scenarios with complex textures and subtle defects. Additionally, the paper includes qualitative examples that highlight the practical applications of the proposed method. These examples illustrate how the system can be used in various industrial inspection tasks, such as quality control and defect detection in manufacturing processes. The ability to accurately detect anomalies using aligned 2D and 3D data makes this approach valuable for ensuring product quality and reliability.

“Looking 3D: Anomaly Detection with 2D-3D Alignment” presents a significant advancement in the field of anomaly detection. By integrating 2D and 3D data, the authors offer a powerful and effective solution for detecting anomalies with greater accuracy and reliability. This research has important implications for various applications, including industrial inspection, quality control, and defect detection, making anomaly detection more robust and comprehensive.