<P>Contemporary man-machine interfaces are increasingly characterized by multimodality, nonintrusiveness, context-sensitivity, adaptivity, and teleoperability. The implementation of such properties relies on novel techniques in felds such as, e.g., computer vision, speech technology, trainable classifiers, robotics, and virtual reality.</P><P>This book puts special emphasis on technological aspects of advanced interface implementation. Furthermore it focuses on interface design and usability.</P><P>For readers with a background in engineering and computer science, most chapters offer design guidelines and case studies, as well as a description of the functioning and limitations of the algorithms required for implementation. In addition, complementary code examples in C++ are given where appropriate.</P><P>As a special feature the book is accompanied by two easy-to-handle software development environments, which offer access to extensive public domain software for computer vision, classification, and virtual reality. These environments also provide real-time access to peripheral components like, e.g., webcams or microphones, enabling hands-on experimentation and testing.</P>
