Pedestrian Pose Estimation Based on YOLO-SwinTransformer Hybrid Model

In the context of complex scenarios, identifying the posture of individuals is a critical technology in the fields of intelligent surveillance and autonomous driving. However, existing methods face challenges in effectively balancing real-time performance, occlusion, and recognition accuracy. To address this issue, we propose a lightweight hybrid model, referred to as YOLO-SwinTransformer, in this study. This model utilizes YOLOv8’s CSP Darknet as the primary network to achieve efficient multi-scale feature extraction. It integrates the Path Aggregation Network aggregation (PANet) and HRNet with high-resolution multi-scale feature extraction, enhancing cross-level semantic information interaction. The primary innovation of this model is the design of a modified Swin Transformer posture identification module, incorporating the Spatial Locality-Aware Module (SLAM) to enhance local feature extraction, achieving a combined modeling of space attention and time-series continuity. This effectively addresses the challenges posed by occlusion and video distortion in identifying posture. Additionally, we have extended the CIoU Loss and weighted mean square error loss functions to improve posture identification strategies, enhancing the precision of key points. Ultimately, extensive experimentation with both the COCO dataset and the self-built realistic road dataset demonstrated that the YOLO-SwinTransformer model achieved a state-of-the-art Average Precision (AP) of 84.9% on the COCO dataset, representing a significant 12.8% enhancement over the YOLOv8 baseline (72.1% AP). More importantly, on our challenging self-built real-world road dataset, the model achieved 82.3% AP (a 13.7% improvement over the baseline’s 68.6% AP), proving its superior robustness in complex occlusion and low-light scenarios. The model’s size is 27.3 M, and its lightweight design enables 39–41 FPS of real-time processing on edge devices, providing a feasible solution for intelligent monitoring and autonomous driving applications with high precision and efficiency.