An acoustoelectronic method and apparatus for generating real-time three-dimensional images of an object and characterizing such object are provided. The object is insonified with an incident acoustic signal derived from an electrical signal. Acoustic signals scattered from the object are collected by an acoustic receiver, which generates analog electrical signals that are subsequently converted to digital electronic signals. The digital electronic signals are used in both direct-imaging and holographic methods to produce a three-dimensional representation of the object from which images and characterizations can be generated.