Abstract: The invention relates to a system and a method for detecting a surface shape of a human or animal body surface. A plurality of magnetic field sensors (2) arranged relative to one another in a sensor field (1) is placed on a plurality of surface regions of the body surface. A magnetic field generator (7) generates a magnetic field in the vicinity of the sensor field, so that a plurality of surface signals belonging to the surface regions are generated by using the magnetic field sensors (2). The surface signals serve as position signals with regard to the orientation and position of the magnetic field sensors in the magnetic field, so that the surface shape of the body surface is determined from the plurality of position signals of the magnetic field sensors (2) by using a signal processing unit (5).