NOTE On Active Contour Models and Balloons

puted, the maxima are extracted and then edges are linked together. Here we do it another way; we start with a continuous curve model and we try to localize it on the maxima of the gradient. We draw a simple curve close to the intended contours and let the action of the image forces push the curve the rest of the way. The final position corresponds to the equilibrium reached at the minimum of the model’s energy. The external forces are derived from the image data or imposed as constraints. Internal forces define the physical properties of the model. If this original idea is due to [l, 3, 41, our model presents the following interesting new features which can solve some of the problems encountered with the original snake method: