Modern digital cameras employ silicon focal plane array (FPA) image sensors featuring millions of pixels. However, it is possible to make a camera that only needs one pixel. In these cameras a spatial light modulator, placed before or after the object to be imaged, applies a time-varying pattern and synchronized intensity measurements are made with a single-pixel detector. The principle of compressed sensing then allows an image to be generated. As the approach suits a wide a variety of detector technologies, images can be collected at wavelengths outside the reach of FPA technology or at high frame rates or in three dimensions. Promising applications include the visualization of hazardous gas leaks and 3D situation awareness for autonomous vehicles.

现代数码相机采用具有数百万个像素的硅焦平面阵列（FPA）图像传感器。但是，可以制造仅需要一个像素的相机。在这些相机中，放置在要成像物体之前或之后的空间光调制器会施加时变图案，并使用单像素检测器进行同步强度测量。然后，压缩感测的原理允许生成图像。由于该方法适合多种检测器技术，因此可以以FPA技术无法达到的波长或以高帧速率或三维方式收集图像。有前途的应用包括危险气体泄漏的可视化和自动驾驶汽车的3D情况感知。