Optical information processing and beyond

This paper first gives a brief review of fundamentals of optical information processing and practical needs. Then recent progress of optical information processing is reviewed, focusing on the advance of novel processing approaches in optical information processing and new processing systems. Next is a description of the recent advance of spatial light modulators (SLMs) for optical information processing. Architectures for optical and optical/electronic hybrid correlation systems and the recently developed correlation filters are reviewed. Correlation experiments implementing real-time and/or feedback processing are demonstrated. Finally, beyond the present state-of-the-art in optical information processing, an effort toward developing an intelligent optical human vision system is briefly described as an example of future research in optical information processing.