The MIT Vision Chip Project: analog VLSI systems for fast image acquisition and early vision processing

The goal of the MIT Vision Chip Project is to design and build prototype analog early vision systems that are remarkably low-power, small, and fast. The typical system will perform one or more computation-intensive image-processing tasks at hundreds to thousands of frames per second using only tens to hundreds of milliwatts. The entire system with lens, imager, power supply and support circuitry can fit inside a cigar box. The authors briefly outline the overall project and describe two tested chips in some detail. Particular attention is given to a fast imager and processor chip for object position and orientation, and to an integrated ccd (charge-coupled device) imager and processors for edge detection