Prototype-Based Classification

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Overview

Prototype-based classification represents each class with one or more examples, centers, or learned patterns, then predicts by measuring similarity in a feature space. Methods range from nearest-centroid and episodic few-shot learning to learned part prototypes, contrastive alignment, and geometric or distributional models; many use pretrained encoders when labeled data are scarce. The approach is used for few-shot recognition, continual learning, medical and time-series classification, and open-set or out-of-distribution detection, with evaluations spanning settings such as ImageNet-LT, CIFAR, and UEA/UCR time-series benchmarks. A central challenge is that prototypes can become unrepresentative under class variation, imbalance, or domain shift, while improving their interpretability and reliability may trade off against accuracy or depend strongly on the similarity and rejection rules used.

Latest papers

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76 papers12 papers in the last four weeks, up 100% on the four weeks before. 0.1% of all new papers.

  1. When Sensing Varies with Contexts: Context Probing for Tactile Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning

    Mar 26, 2026Yifeng Lin, Aiping Huang, Wenxi Liu +4Class-Incremental LearningPrototype-Based Classification

    Fujian Key Laboratory for Intelligent Processing and Wireless Transmission of Media Information, College of Physics and Information Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China

  2. This Looks Distinctly Like That: Grounding Interpretable Recognition in Stiefel Geometry against Neural Collapse

    Mar 9, 2026Junhao Jia, Jiaqi Wang, Yunyou Liu +4Prototype-Based ClassificationExplainable Image Classification

    Medical Artificial Intelligence Lab, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China · Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China · Tencent Jarvis Lab, Shenzhen, China +1

  3. TALON: Test-time Adaptive Learning for On-the-Fly Category Discovery

    Mar 9, 2026Yanan Wu, Yuhan Yan, Tailai Chen +5Test-Time AdaptationPrototype-Based Classification

    College of Information and Electrical Engineering, China Agricultural University, China · College of Science, China Agricultural University, China · Woof RoboT Co., Ltd., China +4

  4. Classifying Novel 3D-Printed Objects without Retraining: Towards Post-Production Automation in Additive Manufacturing

    Mar 8, 2026Fanis Mathioulakis, Gorjan Radevski, Silke GC Cleuren +4Additive ManufacturingManufacturing

    KU Leuven, Belgium. · Materialise, Belgium. · Iristick, Belgium.

  5. How to Achieve Prototypical Birth and Death for OOD Detection?

    Mar 6, 2026Ningkang Peng, Qianfeng Yu, Xiaoqian Peng +7OOD DetectionPrototype-Based Classification

    School of Computer and Electronic Information, Nanjing Normal University · School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine · School of Cyber Science and Technology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen +1

  6. An interpretable prototype parts-based neural network for medical tabular data

    Mar 5, 2026Jacek Karolczak, Jerzy StefanowskiInterpretable MLPrototype-Based Classification

    Poznan University of Technology, Institute of Computing Science, ul. Piotrowo 2, 60-695 Poznań, Poland

  7. Adaptive Prototype-based Interpretable Grading of Prostate Cancer

    Mar 5, 2026Riddhasree Bhattacharyya, Pallabi Dutta, Sushmita MitraProstate Cancer GradingHistopathology Image Classification

    Machine Intelligence Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata 700108

  8. Unsupervised Causal Prototypical Networks for De-biased Interpretable Dermoscopy Diagnosis

    Feb 27, 2026Junhao Jia, Yueyi Wu, Huangwei Chen +4Explainable Medical Image AnalysisSkin Lesion Classification

    Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Accessible Perception and Intelligent Systems, College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University · Hangzhou Dianzi University · Xi’an Jiaotong University

  9. RECAP: Local Hebbian Prototype Learning as a Self-Organizing Readout for Reservoir Dynamics

    Feb 25, 2026Heng ZhangImage ClassificationPrototype-Based Classification

    International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), University of Tokyo, Japan

  10. An interpretable framework using foundation models for fish sex identification

    Feb 22, 2026Zheng Miao, Tien-Chieh HungAquacultureExplainable Image Classification

    Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA

  11. MB-DSMIL-CL-PL: Scalable Weakly Supervised Ovarian Cancer Subtype Classification and Localisation Using Contrastive and Prototype Learning with Frozen Patch Features

    Feb 16, 2026Marcus Jenkins, Jasenka Mazibrada, Bogdan Leahu +1Histopathology Image ClassificationCancer Subtype Classification

    School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK · Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UY, UK

  12. Equilibrium contrastive learning for imbalanced image classification

    Feb 10, 2026Sumin Roh, Harim Kim, Ho Yun Lee +1Class-Imbalanced LearningSupervised Contrastive Learning

    Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon 16419, South Korea · Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center (SMC), Seoul 06351, South Korea · Department of Radiology, SMC, Seoul 06351, South Korea +3

  13. ProDER: A Continual Learning Approach for Fault Classification and Localization in Evolving Smart Grids

    Nov 7, 2025Emad Efatinasab, Nahal Azadi, Davide Dalle Pezze +3Replay-Based Continual LearningPrototype-Based Classification

    Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova. · School of Computing, Newcastle University.

  14. Learning Domain- and Class-Disentangled Prototypes for Domain-Generalized EEG Emotion Recognition

    Sep 1, 2025Guangli Li, Canbiao Wu, Zhehao Zhou +3Cross-Subject EEG DecodingPrototype-Based Classification

    School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412008, China · School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China · Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Shenzhen 518060, China +1

  15. EFC++: Elastic Feature Consolidation with Prototype Re-balancing for Cold Start Exemplar-free Incremental Learning

    Mar 13, 2025Simone Magistri, Tomaso Trinci, Albin Soutif-Cormerais +2Class-Incremental LearningPrototype-Based Classification

    Media Integration and Communication Center (MICC), University of Florence, Italy · Global Optimization Laboratory, University of Florence, Italy · LAMP Team, Computer Vision Center, Barcelona, Spain +1

  16. Federated Class-Incremental Learning with Hierarchical Generative Prototypes

    Jun 4, 2024Riccardo Salami, Pietro Buzzega, Matteo Mosconi +2Class-Incremental LearningPrototype-Based Classification

    AImageLab - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy