A moving object classifier is integrated onto a single integrated circuit chip and includes a retina comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensors upon which the image of the object of interest is focused. A position classifier receives inputs from the retina and determines where in the retina the image of an object is located. An object classifier receives inputs from the portion of interest of the retina and computes the degree of membership of the image to each class to be classified and determines which class has the largest membership function. A scan controller controlled by the position classifier limits the object classifier data to the portion of the retinal image which contains the object. An interface controller interfaces the other elements on the integrated circuit chip with a microcontroller, which comprises a standard CPU, memory and input/output lines interfacing to the interface controller.