Computer Science Workbench is a monograph series which will provide you
with an in-depth working knowledge of current developments in computer
technology. Every volume in this series will deal with a topic of
importance in computer science and elaborate on how you yourself can
build systems related to the main theme. You will be able to develop a
variety of systems, including computer software tools, computer
graphics, computer animation, database management systems, and
computer-aided design and manufacturing systems. Computer Science
Workbench represents an important new contribution in the field of
practical computer technology. T08iyasu L. Kunii PREFACE The primary aim
of this book is to present a coherent and self-contained de- scription
of recent advances in three-dimensional object recognition from range
images. Three-dimensional object recognition concerns recognition and
localiza- tion of objects of interest in a scene from input images. This
problem is one of both theoretical and practical importance. On the
theoretical side, it is an ideal vehicle for the study of the general
area of computer vision since it deals with several important issues
encountered in computer vision-for example, issues such as feature
extraction, acquisition, representation and proper use of knowl- edge,
employment of efficient control strategies, coupling numerical and
symbolic computations, and parallel implementation of algorithms. On the
practical side, it has a wide range of applications in areas such as
robot vision, autonomous navigation, automated inspection of industrial
parts, and automated assembly.