A sensor forms the image by capturing snippets of spectral data and converting them into a digital representation. Until recently, the idea of adding digital imaging to a small embedded system was out of the question. Sure, large medical and radar systems exist that process image data, but these systems cost thousands of dollars, and multiple processors power them. Designers of small embedded products, traditionally powered by 8-bit processors, were unable to justify the steep cost of multimedia hardware. These systems also lacked the CPU performance or storage resources necessary to deal with images.
Users are no longer happy with a product that simply performs one function.
The ubiquity of the Internet has educated even the most casual users in the power of real-time communications and graphical information. Your customers now expect similar performance in all embedded systems. Just the combination of your application and networking probably dictates a 32-bit processor, some type of multitasking operating system, and megabytes of memory. Luckily, the cost of 32-bit processors and storage is falling fast enough to keep system budgets manageable. With this type of infrastructure in place, you have many of the components necessary for image processing.