Figure-ground segregation using an analog VLSI chip

An analog, parallel, computational system, built on a single, power-lean, CMOS VLSI chip, that labels all points inside a possibly incomplete and noisy contour in real time is described. The circuit performs figure-ground segregation of a scene, labeling all the points inside a designated figure by one voltage and all other parts outside this object using a different voltage value. Its behavior is shown to be robust, since small breaks in the contour are automatically sealed, providing for figure-ground segregation in a noisy environment. The two major limitations of the current figure-ground chip are its limited capability for recognizing figures with large gaps in the contour and the constraint that the figure always has to be centered.<>