Making a smarter color camera

One meaning of “smart camera” is that it images objects in the class(es) of interest while not imaging objects in other class(es). Such a camera would be most useful if it were software controlled and operated at TV frame rates. In this paper, Artificial Color is applied in the design of such a camera. We show here how to segregate objects by color even when there are nearly identical neighboring colors. The process uses a multiple stage (“divide and conquer”) approach. The method used employs only linear discriminants, so it is simple to implement in software, firmware, or hardware. An example of undoing one of nature’s best camouflage efforts is shown.