Machine Perception

The field of machine perception concerns the building of machines that sense and interpret their environments. This book is about visual perception. Potential applications for such systems include tasks such as automation of industrial processes of inspection and assembly, automated medical x-ray diagnosis, vehicle guidance and automatic photo-interpretation. Beginning from the analysis of simple polyhedral scenes in the early 1960s, the field has progressed to the point where useful analysis of complex natural and industrial scenes is possible and many practical prototype and commercial systems are available. Because of its immense potential applications, interest in this field has been growing rapidly. The book is based on the author's experience in teaching graduate courses in the field at USC for several years.