Machine vision (MV) is the technology and methods used to provide imagingbased
automatic inspection and analysis for such applications as automatic
inspection, process control, and robot guidance in industry. Machine vision is the
ability of a computer to "see." A machine-vision system employs one or more
video cameras, analog-to-digital conversion, and digital signal processing. The
resulting data goes to a computer or robot controller. Machine vision is similar in
complexity to voice recognition. The scope of machine vision is broad. It is
related to, though distinct from, computer vision. Machine vision methods are
de ned as both the process of de ning and creating an MV solution, and as the
technical process that occurs during the operation of the solution. Recently, the
algorithms for the processing of the visual information have greatly evolved,
providing e cient and e ective solutions to cope with the variability and the
complexity of real-world environments. These achievements yield to the development
of Machine Vision systems that overwhelmed the distinctive industrial
solicitations, where the environments are controlled and the tasks are very
precise, towards the use of state-of-the-art solutions to face with everyday
desires of people. This book entitled Human-Centric Machine Vision can help to
solve the problems raised by the needs of our society, e.g. security and safety,
health care, medical imaging, and human machine interface. In such solicitations
it is required to handle changing, impulsive and multifaceted situations, and to
deal with the presence of humans.