Second, all the active contour models require the user to set a smoothness parameter manually. This step has always been annoying to users. By exploiting image properties near an object boundary, we develop a principle to set the parameter to an appropriate value, and further, we develop an algorithm to set the parameter automatically and an energy functional needed by the algorithm. With the two pieces of work, we build a system that finds the object boundary automatically given an initial position near the boundary. Finding a good initial position, or say finding a rough position of the boundary, is a tough problem by itself, which we do not get into in the thesis.
Experimental evidence is provided in support of the theoretical claims.
Possible extensions of the work is also presented. The complete text of the thesis is available as a .pdf file.