We introduce a novel representation of two-dimensional shape that we call smoothed local symmetries (SLS). Smoothed local symmetries represent both the bounding contour of a shape fragment and the region that it occupies. In this paper we develop the main features of the SLS representation and describe an implemented algorithm that computes it. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated for a set of tools. We conclude by sketching a method for determining the articulation of a shape into subshapes.
