BinoHeM: Binocular Singular Hellinger Metametric for Fine-Grained Few-Shot Classification

Meta-metric learning has demonstrated strong performance in coarse-grained few-shot situations. However, despite their simplicity and availability, these metametrics are limited in effectively handling fine-grained few-shot scenarios. Fine-Grained Few-Shot Classification (FGFSC) presents significant challenges to the network’s ability to extract subtle features. Equipped with the symmetrical binocular perception system and complex neural networks in the brain, humans inherently possess exceptional and resilient meta-learning abilities, facilitating superior management of fine-grained few-shot scenarios. In this paper, inspired by the human binocular visual system, we pioneer the first human-like meta-metric paradigm: Binocular Singular Hellinger Metametric (BinoHeM). Functionally, BinoHeM incorporates advanced symmetric binocular feature encoding and recognition mechanisms. Structurally, it integrates two binocular sensing feature encoders, a singular Hellinger metametric, and two collaborative identification mechanisms. Building on this foundation, we introduce two innovative metametric variants: BinoHeM-KDL and BinoHeM-MTL. These are grounded in two advanced training mechanisms: knowledge distillation learning (KDL) and meta-transfer learning (MTL), respectively. Furthermore, we showcase the high accuracy and robust generalization capabilities of our approaches on four representative FGFSC benchmarks. Extensive comparative and ablation experiments have validated the efficiency and superiority of our paradigm over other state-of-the-art algorithms.