PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a massage machine which permits a load imposed on the image processing of an image including a person to be given a massage to be reduced, information concerning the person to be given a massage to be acquired from the image and to be used on a practical level for controlling massaging actions, and ease of use to be improved by reducing time and effort involved in manual operations by the person to be given a massage.SOLUTION: The presence of an area showing the backrest portion as a background in the outside of an area showing the person to be given a massage in an image obtained by imaging the condition of the person to be given a massage who is leaning against the backrest portion 13 by an imaging means makes it easy to extract the edge of the area showing the person to be given a massage, facilitates the grasping of the condition of the person to be given a massage in the image by specifying the area showing the person to be given a massage and a process until a massage according to the condition of the person to be given a massage is performed, and permits a processing load to be significantly reduced and the time from the imaging of the person to be given a massage to the actual massaging actions to be shortened.COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT【課題】 被施療者を含む撮像画像の画像処理にかかる負荷を軽減し、撮像画像から被施療者に係る情報を効率よく取得してマッサージの動作制御に実用的なレベルで利用でき、被施療者による手動操作の手間を軽減して使い勝手を向上させられるマッサージ機を提供する。【解決手段】 背もたれ部13にもたれ掛った被施術者の状態を撮像手段で撮像して、得られた撮像画像において被施術者を示す領域の外側に背景としての背もたれ部を示す領域が存在することから、被施術者を示す領域の外縁を抽出しやすく、被施術者を示す領域を特定して画像中の被施術者の状態を把握し、この被施術者の状態に対応したマッサージを実行するまでの処理が容易に行えると共に、処理負荷を大幅に軽減でき、被施術者を撮像してから実際のマッサージ動作までの時間を短縮できる。【選択図】 図1
