Computer Analysis of Time-Varying Images

Only a few years ago, even the simplest image processing operations strained state-of-the-art computers to their limits. 128 x 128 arrays took a lot of memory, and even the most trivial operations required enormous amounts of time. Then, with faster computers and cheaper memory, the technology finally began to catch up. Today, image operations are still time consuming, but it is no longer unthinkable to process 512 x 512 images. Now, imaging sensors are becoming an increasingly important part of closed-loop controllers in robotics, missile guidance, the automatic tracking of moving objects, and other intelligent systems. However, these applications require real-time processing of image sequences, and once again, the demands of image processing are pushing the available technology to its limits.