Inaul Recognition App: Protecting Philippine Traditional Textile Cultural Heritage with Deep Learning

The Inaul Recognition App is a mobile-based image classification application that uses CNN and transfer learning technologies to identify traditional Inaul textile patterns from Mindanao, Philippines, dedicated to the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage. This project combines computer vision with cultural protection, providing a technical solution for the digital preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

Inaul is a traditional hand-woven textile from the Muslim communities of Mindanao, Philippines, with a history of hundreds of years and an important symbol of Maguindanao culture. Its unique features include: geometric patterns representing natural elements, colors with specific cultural meanings (e.g., red symbolizes courage), and the use of hand looms and complex weaving techniques. However, the modernization process has led to the risk of losing traditional skills—younger generations know little about them, and pattern styles are gradually being forgotten.

The core architecture uses TensorFlow Lite (a lightweight mobile inference engine), CNN combined with transfer learning, based on MobileNet or EfficientNet pre-trained models. Transfer learning strategy: Use ImageNet pre-trained models to extract general features, fine-tune on the Inaul dataset, and quantize the model into TensorFlow Lite format. Data preprocessing includes image collection (camera/album), size standardization (e.g., 224x224), data augmentation (rotation/flip, etc.), and normalization to [0,1].

1. Real-time pattern recognition: Take photos to identify types, display confidence levels, and provide cultural background; 2. Pattern database: Browse by category, view detailed descriptions and origin stories; 3. Learning mode: Recognition challenge games, weaving tutorials, knowledge quizzes; 4. Community contribution: Upload samples, annotate information, share collections.

Digital preservation: Establish digital fingerprints of patterns to achieve permanent preservation, precise classification, and fast retrieval; Educational dissemination: Young people learn about traditions via mobile phones, tourists identify textiles, and researchers collect data; Economic empowerment: Protect artisans' intellectual property rights, help consumers identify authentic products, and establish a certification system.

1. Data scarcity: Collaborate with museums/collectors to collect samples, use data augmentation, and transfer learning; 2. Pattern similarity: Fine-grained classification networks, attention mechanisms to focus on key areas, high-resolution images; 3. Mobile device limitations: Choose MobileNet architecture, model quantization and pruning, cloud-local hybrid inference.

Expansion prospects: Traditional clothing recognition (Indian embroidery, African batik, Chinese brocade), auxiliary cultural relic identification, handicraft e-commerce. Community participation: The open-source project welcomes data contributions, model improvements, interface design, translation localization, and cultural content provision.

The Inaul Recognition App demonstrates the innovative application of AI in cultural heritage protection, providing tools for the digital preservation of Inaul and serving as a reference for global intangible cultural heritage protection. Technology becomes a bridge connecting the past and the future, allowing young people to learn about traditional skills via mobile phones, opening up new possibilities for cultural inheritance.