Multiresolution skeletonization an electrostatic field-based approach

Skeleton representation of an object is believed to be a powerful representation that captures both boundary and region information of the object. The skeleton of a shape is a representation composed of idealized thin lines that preserve the connectivity or topology of the original shape. Although the literature contains a large number of skeletonization algorithms, many open problems remain. A new skeletonization approach that relies on the electrostatic field theory (EFT) is proposed. Many problems associated with existing skeletonization algorithms are solved using the proposed approach. In particular, connectivity, thinness, and other desirable features of a skeleton are guaranteed. Furthermore, the electrostatic field-based approach captures notions of corner detection, multiple scale, thinning, and skeletonization all within one unified framework. Experimental results are very encouraging and are used to illustrate the potential of the proposed approach