Optical-image recognition for experiments in the track chambers of high-energy physics

The bottleneck in extracting data from photographs of the high-energy reactions of subnuclear particles has been opened by a factor of ten in the last decade. Four types of film processors have become operational and they have added to the natural excitement of the field by providing ample events to answer questions about the behavior of subnuclear particles. The method of extraction of track-chamber data by specialists is presented; hardware and software are reviewed. Bubble chambers provide the biggest challenge. Higher energy regions and new optical track chambers indicate further challenges for event-recognition systems.