A single-pixel camera works like an artist creating a picture through a stencil with many holes. In each frame, only a portion of the light, modulated by a mask, a spatial light modulator, reaches the single sensor, and then the computer reconstructs the full image by assembling this mosaic with computational algorithms. Previously, the sequence of masks was fixed: like an artist always using the same stencil without looking at the subject. The new method, based on adaptive optimization, allows the camera to choose the order of masks in real time. It's as if it squints to first capture the main contours of the scene, then focuses on fine details exactly where they are, dynamically redistributing measurements. This approach lets the device distinguish even spectral shades invisible to the eye in the infrared "thermal" range, where each material has a unique signature.

Paradoxically, a single sensor capturing total intensity can detect traces of a chemical on an apple, even though it looks flawless: different substances absorb and reflect infrared radiation differently, and adaptive scanning reveals these spectral anomalies invisible in ordinary light.