Prior-free 3D tracking of a fast-moving object at 6667 frames per second with single-pixel detectors

Real-time tracking and 3D trajectory computation of fast-moving objects is a promising technology, especially in the field of autonomous driving. However, existing image-based tracking methods face significant challenges when it comes to real-time tracking, primarily due to the limitation of storage space and computational resources. Here, we propose a novel approach that enables real-time 3D tracking of a fast-moving object without any prior motion information and at a very low computational cost. To enable 3D coordinate synthesis with a space-efficient optical setup, geometric moment patterns are projected on two non-orthogonal planes with a spatial resolution of 125 µm. Our experiment demonstrates an impressive tracking speed of 6667 frames per second (FPS) with a 20 kHz digital micromirror device (DMD), which is more than 200 times faster than the widely adopted video-based tracking methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest tracking speed record in the field of single-pixel 3D trajectory tracking. This method promotes the development of real-time tracking techniques with single-pixel imaging (SPI). © 2024 Optica Publishing Group.