The Living Optics Camera: Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging

The Living Optics hyperspectral camera reduces development barriers with its camera and development kit and makes spectral imaging practical for real-time applications.

The Living Optics Camera captures spatial and spectral information in real time across the VIS to NIR range. Developers can see the full scene at video frame rates with detailed spectral sampling that conventional cameras cannott provide. This capability enables more accurate analysis, better material identification and new application possibilities.

The system is designed as a complete solution. The camera is portable and paired with an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module that provides the GPU power needed for real-time spatial spectral processing. It includes the storage, interfaces and connectivity required for field and lab use. Optional accessories such as a waterproof case, battery and tripod mounting make it suitable for deployment in varied environments.

The software ecosystem is direct and functional. The Software Development Kit offers camera control, data acquisition, visualisation tools and an API compatible with common computer vision frameworks. Examples and tutorials support fast onboarding. Developers can add spectral information to existing pipelines or create new ones with minimal friction.

The technical specifications reflect a focus on performance and usability. The camera delivers five million spatial pixels, 96 wavelength bands from 440nm to 900nm at 30fpse. Its design is compact and lightweight for easy transport and setup.

How It Works

Pushbroom cameras acquire hyperspectral data line by line. The Living Optics Camera is different in the sense that it captures a full spectral cube in a single exposure. It uses a tiled filter array integrated with the sensor, where each pixel block corresponds to a different spectral band. This creates a mosaic of spectral responses that is processed with computational algorithms to reconstruct a dense hyperspectral data cube. By spreading spectral sampling across the array and interpolating missing data, the camera produces high-quality hyperspectral cubes in real time. This design allows the Living Optics Camera to operate as a snapshot hyperspectral imaging system.

Applications

Industrial inspection
The Living Optics Camera Detects material inconsistencies, contamination and subtle variations that standard imaging overlooks.

Environmental monitoring
Supports vegetation analysis, water quality assessment and outdoor research where spectral signatures provide critical insight.

Healthcare and life sciences
The Living Optics Camera Enables non-invasive examination of biological materials and supports research requiring accurate spectral differentiation.

Agriculture and food systems
Crop health monitoring, ripeness assessment and quality control in processing environments are all applications that the Living Optics Camera excels at.

Robotics and automation
Improves scene understanding for autonomous systems by providing more detailed information about surfaces, materials and objects.

Research and prototyping
Gives teams a practical tool for exploratory work where spectral imaging was previously too slow or specialised.

Features

Video rate spectral imaging
Captures spatial and spectral data at thirty frames per second for real time analysis.

VIS to NIR coverage
Operates from 440 to 900 nanometres with 96 wavelength bands for detailed spectral sampling.

Integrated edge compute
Uses NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin for on device processing, reducing latency and simplifying workflows.

Developer ready software
Provides control tools, visualisation interfaces and an API designed for integration with modern computer vision frameworks.

Portable and field ready design
Compact hardware, optional battery power and protective accessories support work in varied environments.

Scalable cloud tools
Cloud tiers allow users to access advanced processing and analysis capabilities when required.