Several calibrated systems have been built and used for a variety of applications, including imaging of Dead Sea Scrolls, neural function mapping, plant physiology, and agricultural produce sorting and grading. Imaging spectrometers acquire the spectrum of every pixel in a scene, which can then be used for classification and analysis. An electronically tunable bandpass filter in the optical path selects the wavelength over the entire image. Since the optics are all in-line and do not involve scanning, the spectrometer can be compact in size and operated from a laptop computer. At present, the system operates in the visible and near-infrared portion of the spectrum.
Custom software operates the camera and filter as well as sequencing the data acquisition.
For many applications, the wavelength set can be reduced considerably, so that it is not necessary to obtain a full spectrum for all applications. Chemometrics and other tools can point the way to simplifying the required wavelength set and subsequent data analysis. With reduced requirements, the instrument becomes smaller, less expensive, and easier to commercialize. Benefits Agriculture Scheduling irrigation related to water stress. Grading and sorting produce after harvest.