Posit AI Weblog: Implementing rotation equivariance: Group-equivariant CNN from scratch


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are nice – they’re in a position to detect options in a picture irrespective of the place. Effectively, not precisely. They’re not detached to simply any sort of motion. Shifting up or down, or left or proper, is okay; rotating round an axis is just not. That’s due to how convolution works: traverse by row, then traverse by column (or the opposite means spherical). If we would like “extra” (e.g., profitable detection of an upside-down object), we have to prolong convolution to an operation that’s rotation-equivariant. An operation that’s equivariant to some sort of motion won’t solely register the moved function per se, but in addition, preserve monitor of which concrete motion made it seem the place it’s.

That is the second publish in a collection that introduces group-equivariant CNNs (GCNNs). The first was a high-level introduction to why we’d need them, and the way they work. There, we launched the important thing participant, the symmetry group, which specifies what sorts of transformations are to be handled equivariantly. When you haven’t, please check out that publish first, since right here I’ll make use of terminology and ideas it launched.

In the present day, we code a easy GCNN from scratch. Code and presentation tightly observe a pocket book offered as a part of College of Amsterdam’s 2022 Deep Studying Course. They’ll’t be thanked sufficient for making accessible such glorious studying supplies.

In what follows, my intent is to clarify the final considering, and the way the ensuing structure is constructed up from smaller modules, every of which is assigned a transparent function. For that purpose, I received’t reproduce all of the code right here; as an alternative, I’ll make use of the package deal gcnn. Its strategies are closely annotated; so to see some particulars, don’t hesitate to take a look at the code.

As of immediately, gcnn implements one symmetry group: (C_4), the one which serves as a working instance all through publish one. It’s straightforwardly extensible, although, making use of sophistication hierarchies all through.

Step 1: The symmetry group (C_4)

In coding a GCNN, the very first thing we have to present is an implementation of the symmetry group we’d like to make use of. Right here, it’s (C_4), the four-element group that rotates by 90 levels.

We will ask gcnn to create one for us, and examine its parts.

# remotes::install_github("skeydan/gcnn")
library(gcnn)
library(torch)

C_4 <- CyclicGroup(order = 4)
elems <- C_4$parts()
elems
torch_tensor
 0.0000
 1.5708
 3.1416
 4.7124
[ CPUFloatType{4} ]

Components are represented by their respective rotation angles: (0), (frac{pi}{2}), (pi), and (frac{3 pi}{2}).

Teams are conscious of the identification, and know find out how to assemble a component’s inverse:

C_4$identification

g1 <- elems[2]
C_4$inverse(g1)
torch_tensor
 0
[ CPUFloatType{1} ]

torch_tensor
4.71239
[ CPUFloatType{} ]

Right here, what we care about most is the group parts’ motion. Implementation-wise, we have to distinguish between them appearing on one another, and their motion on the vector area (mathbb{R}^2), the place our enter photographs dwell. The previous half is the straightforward one: It might merely be applied by including angles. In reality, that is what gcnn does after we ask it to let g1 act on g2:

g2 <- elems[3]

# in C_4$left_action_on_H(), H stands for the symmetry group
C_4$left_action_on_H(torch_tensor(g1)$unsqueeze(1), torch_tensor(g2)$unsqueeze(1))
torch_tensor
 4.7124
[ CPUFloatType{1,1} ]

What’s with the unsqueeze()s? Since (C_4)’s final raison d’être is to be a part of a neural community, left_action_on_H() works with batches of parts, not scalar tensors.

Issues are a bit much less easy the place the group motion on (mathbb{R}^2) is worried. Right here, we’d like the idea of a group illustration. That is an concerned subject, which we received’t go into right here. In our present context, it really works about like this: We have now an enter sign, a tensor we’d prefer to function on indirectly. (That “a way” might be convolution, as we’ll see quickly.) To render that operation group-equivariant, we first have the illustration apply the inverse group motion to the enter. That completed, we go on with the operation as if nothing had occurred.

To present a concrete instance, let’s say the operation is a measurement. Think about a runner, standing on the foot of some mountain path, able to run up the climb. We’d prefer to report their top. One possibility we have now is to take the measurement, then allow them to run up. Our measurement might be as legitimate up the mountain because it was down right here. Alternatively, we is likely to be well mannered and never make them wait. As soon as they’re up there, we ask them to come back down, and once they’re again, we measure their top. The end result is identical: Physique top is equivariant (greater than that: invariant, even) to the motion of working up or down. (After all, top is a fairly boring measure. However one thing extra attention-grabbing, equivalent to coronary heart price, wouldn’t have labored so effectively on this instance.)

Returning to the implementation, it seems that group actions are encoded as matrices. There’s one matrix for every group aspect. For (C_4), the so-called customary illustration is a rotation matrix:

[
begin{bmatrix} cos(theta) & -sin(theta) sin(theta) & cos(theta) end{bmatrix}
]

In gcnn, the perform making use of that matrix is left_action_on_R2(). Like its sibling, it’s designed to work with batches (of group parts in addition to (mathbb{R}^2) vectors). Technically, what it does is rotate the grid the picture is outlined on, after which, re-sample the picture. To make this extra concrete, that methodology’s code seems about as follows.

Here’s a goat.

img_path <- system.file("imgs", "z.jpg", package deal = "gcnn")
img <- torchvision::base_loader(img_path) |> torchvision::transform_to_tensor()
img$permute(c(2, 3, 1)) |> as.array() |> as.raster() |> plot()

A goat sitting comfortably on a meadow.

First, we name C_4$left_action_on_R2() to rotate the grid.

# Grid form is [2, 1024, 1024], for a 2nd, 1024 x 1024 picture.
img_grid_R2 <- torch::torch_stack(torch::torch_meshgrid(
    record(
      torch::torch_linspace(-1, 1, dim(img)[2]),
      torch::torch_linspace(-1, 1, dim(img)[3])
    )
))

# Remodel the picture grid with the matrix illustration of some group aspect.
transformed_grid <- C_4$left_action_on_R2(C_4$inverse(g1)$unsqueeze(1), img_grid_R2)

Second, we re-sample the picture on the reworked grid. The goat now seems as much as the sky.

transformed_img <- torch::nnf_grid_sample(
  img$unsqueeze(1), transformed_grid,
  align_corners = TRUE, mode = "bilinear", padding_mode = "zeros"
)

transformed_img[1,..]$permute(c(2, 3, 1)) |> as.array() |> as.raster() |> plot()

Same goat, rotated up by 90 degrees.

Step 2: The lifting convolution

We wish to make use of current, environment friendly torch performance as a lot as potential. Concretely, we wish to use nn_conv2d(). What we’d like, although, is a convolution kernel that’s equivariant not simply to translation, but in addition to the motion of (C_4). This may be achieved by having one kernel for every potential rotation.

Implementing that concept is precisely what LiftingConvolution does. The precept is identical as earlier than: First, the grid is rotated, after which, the kernel (weight matrix) is re-sampled to the reworked grid.

Why, although, name this a lifting convolution? The standard convolution kernel operates on (mathbb{R}^2); whereas our prolonged model operates on combos of (mathbb{R}^2) and (C_4). In math communicate, it has been lifted to the semi-direct product (mathbb{R}^2rtimes C_4).

lifting_conv <- LiftingConvolution(
    group = CyclicGroup(order = 4),
    kernel_size = 5,
    in_channels = 3,
    out_channels = 8
  )

x <- torch::torch_randn(c(2, 3, 32, 32))
y <- lifting_conv(x)
y$form
[1]  2  8  4 28 28

Since, internally, LiftingConvolution makes use of an extra dimension to understand the product of translations and rotations, the output is just not four-, however five-dimensional.

Step 3: Group convolutions

Now that we’re in “group-extended area”, we will chain quite a few layers the place each enter and output are group convolution layers. For instance:

group_conv <- GroupConvolution(
  group = CyclicGroup(order = 4),
    kernel_size = 5,
    in_channels = 8,
    out_channels = 16
)

z <- group_conv(y)
z$form
[1]  2 16  4 24 24

All that is still to be finished is package deal this up. That’s what gcnn::GroupEquivariantCNN() does.

Step 4: Group-equivariant CNN

We will name GroupEquivariantCNN() like so.

cnn <- GroupEquivariantCNN(
    group = CyclicGroup(order = 4),
    kernel_size = 5,
    in_channels = 1,
    out_channels = 1,
    num_hidden = 2, # variety of group convolutions
    hidden_channels = 16 # variety of channels per group conv layer
)

img <- torch::torch_randn(c(4, 1, 32, 32))
cnn(img)$form
[1] 4 1

At informal look, this GroupEquivariantCNN seems like several previous CNN … weren’t it for the group argument.

Now, after we examine its output, we see that the extra dimension is gone. That’s as a result of after a sequence of group-to-group convolution layers, the module initiatives right down to a illustration that, for every batch merchandise, retains channels solely. It thus averages not simply over places – as we usually do – however over the group dimension as effectively. A ultimate linear layer will then present the requested classifier output (of dimension out_channels).

And there we have now the entire structure. It’s time for a real-world(ish) take a look at.

Rotated digits!

The thought is to coach two convnets, a “regular” CNN and a group-equivariant one, on the same old MNIST coaching set. Then, each are evaluated on an augmented take a look at set the place every picture is randomly rotated by a steady rotation between 0 and 360 levels. We don’t count on GroupEquivariantCNN to be “good” – not if we equip with (C_4) as a symmetry group. Strictly, with (C_4), equivariance extends over 4 positions solely. However we do hope it should carry out considerably higher than the shift-equivariant-only customary structure.

First, we put together the info; particularly, the augmented take a look at set.

dir <- "/tmp/mnist"

train_ds <- torchvision::mnist_dataset(
  dir,
  obtain = TRUE,
  rework = torchvision::transform_to_tensor
)

test_ds <- torchvision::mnist_dataset(
  dir,
  practice = FALSE,
  rework = perform(x) >
      torchvision::transform_to_tensor() 
)

train_dl <- dataloader(train_ds, batch_size = 128, shuffle = TRUE)
test_dl <- dataloader(test_ds, batch_size = 128)

How does it look?

test_images <- coro::accumulate(
  test_dl, 1
)[[1]]$x[1:32, 1, , ] |> as.array()

par(mfrow = c(4, 8), mar = rep(0, 4), mai = rep(0, 4))
test_images |>
  purrr::array_tree(1) |>
  purrr::map(as.raster) |>
  purrr::iwalk(~ {
    plot(.x)
  })

32 digits, rotated randomly.

We first outline and practice a traditional CNN. It’s as just like GroupEquivariantCNN(), architecture-wise, as potential, and is given twice the variety of hidden channels, in order to have comparable capability total.

 default_cnn <- nn_module(
   "default_cnn",
   initialize = perform(kernel_size, in_channels, out_channels, num_hidden, hidden_channels) {
     self$conv1 <- torch::nn_conv2d(in_channels, hidden_channels, kernel_size)
     self$convs <- torch::nn_module_list()
     for (i in 1:num_hidden) {
       self$convs$append(torch::nn_conv2d(hidden_channels, hidden_channels, kernel_size))
     }
     self$avg_pool <- torch::nn_adaptive_avg_pool2d(1)
     self$final_linear <- torch::nn_linear(hidden_channels, out_channels)
   },
   ahead = perform(x) >
       torch::torch_squeeze() 
 )

fitted <- default_cnn |>
    luz::setup(
      loss = torch::nn_cross_entropy_loss(),
      optimizer = torch::optim_adam,
      metrics = record(
        luz::luz_metric_accuracy()
      )
    ) |>
    luz::set_hparams(
      kernel_size = 5,
      in_channels = 1,
      out_channels = 10,
      num_hidden = 4,
      hidden_channels = 32
    ) %>%
    luz::set_opt_hparams(lr = 1e-2, weight_decay = 1e-4) |>
    luz::match(train_dl, epochs = 10, valid_data = test_dl) 
Practice metrics: Loss: 0.0498 - Acc: 0.9843
Legitimate metrics: Loss: 3.2445 - Acc: 0.4479

Unsurprisingly, accuracy on the take a look at set is just not that nice.

Subsequent, we practice the group-equivariant model.

fitted <- GroupEquivariantCNN |>
  luz::setup(
    loss = torch::nn_cross_entropy_loss(),
    optimizer = torch::optim_adam,
    metrics = record(
      luz::luz_metric_accuracy()
    )
  ) |>
  luz::set_hparams(
    group = CyclicGroup(order = 4),
    kernel_size = 5,
    in_channels = 1,
    out_channels = 10,
    num_hidden = 4,
    hidden_channels = 16
  ) |>
  luz::set_opt_hparams(lr = 1e-2, weight_decay = 1e-4) |>
  luz::match(train_dl, epochs = 10, valid_data = test_dl)
Practice metrics: Loss: 0.1102 - Acc: 0.9667
Legitimate metrics: Loss: 0.4969 - Acc: 0.8549

For the group-equivariant CNN, accuracies on take a look at and coaching units are lots nearer. That may be a good end result! Let’s wrap up immediately’s exploit resuming a thought from the primary, extra high-level publish.

A problem

Going again to the augmented take a look at set, or fairly, the samples of digits displayed, we discover an issue. In row two, column 4, there’s a digit that “below regular circumstances”, must be a 9, however, likely, is an upside-down 6. (To a human, what suggests that is the squiggle-like factor that appears to be discovered extra usually with sixes than with nines.) Nonetheless, you would ask: does this have to be an issue? Perhaps the community simply must be taught the subtleties, the sorts of issues a human would spot?

The way in which I view it, all of it depends upon the context: What actually must be completed, and the way an software goes for use. With digits on a letter, I’d see no purpose why a single digit ought to seem upside-down; accordingly, full rotation equivariance can be counter-productive. In a nutshell, we arrive on the similar canonical crucial advocates of truthful, simply machine studying preserve reminding us of:

At all times consider the way in which an software goes for use!

In our case, although, there may be one other facet to this, a technical one. gcnn::GroupEquivariantCNN() is an easy wrapper, in that its layers all make use of the identical symmetry group. In precept, there isn’t a want to do that. With extra coding effort, totally different teams can be utilized relying on a layer’s place within the feature-detection hierarchy.

Right here, let me lastly let you know why I selected the goat image. The goat is seen via a red-and-white fence, a sample – barely rotated, as a result of viewing angle – made up of squares (or edges, in case you like). Now, for such a fence, sorts of rotation equivariance equivalent to that encoded by (C_4) make numerous sense. The goat itself, although, we’d fairly not have look as much as the sky, the way in which I illustrated (C_4) motion earlier than. Thus, what we’d do in a real-world image-classification job is use fairly versatile layers on the backside, and more and more restrained layers on the prime of the hierarchy.

Thanks for studying!

Picture by Marjan Blan | @marjanblan on Unsplash

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