This thesis addresses the gure-ground segmentation problem in the context of complex systems for automatic object recognition. Firstly the problem of image segmentation in general terms is introduced, followed by a discussion about its importance for online and interactive acquisition of visual representations. Secondly a machine learning approach using arti cial neural networks is presented. This approach on the basis of Generalized Learning Vector Quantization is investigated in challenging scenarios such as the real-time gure-ground segmentation of complex shaped objects under continuously...