A multiexpert framework for character recognition: a novel application of Clifford networks.

A novel multiple-expert framework for recognition of handwritten characters is presented. The proposed framework is composed of multiple classifiers (experts) put together in such a manner as to enhance the recognition capability of the combined network compared to the best performing individual expert participating in the framework. Each of these experts has been derived from a novel neural structure in which the weight values are derived from Clifford algebra. A Clifford algebra is a mathematical paradigm capable of capturing the interdimensional dependencies found in multidimensional data. It offers a technique for concise data storage and processing by representing dependencies between the component dimensions of the data which is otherwise difficult to encode and hence is often employed in analyzing multidimensional data. Results achieved by the proposed multiple-expert framework demonstrates significant improvement over alternative techniques.