This 4 volume proceedings is the next in a long line of premier international conferences in this field that presents current research results on the theory and applications of pattern recognition. The conference is a multi-track international program with explorations on recent advances in the fields of computer vision and robotics; pattern recognition; speech, image and signal processing; and systems and robotics. This ICPR 2006 covers the latest advances being made by the pattern recognition community and the associated impact on the technological developments that reach the market place. Its aim is to not only impact on the current research of the readers but to also represent important archival material to which future generations of researchers in pattern recognition will be returning for years to come.