Simple, economical hardware based on incoherent space-frequency analys
is overcomes many drawbacks associated with coherent optical systems.
We have adopted this technique in developing a compact camera unit tha
t uses a liquid-crystal light modulator for data input. This optically
addressable camera system can automate a variety of visual inspection
tasks. Adapted to conventional microscopes, it also enables automatic
inspection of biological specimen textures, a useful tool in disease
detection.