Abstract: A chuck or spindle mountable wireless vision system and method for use in harsh environments. The vision system includes a sealed housing. The sealed housing includes a tool holder interface to couple to the chuck or spindle of a machine. An optical system to acquire an image is positioned within the sealed housing, the optical system including a processor, memory, and machine vision software to perform at least a portion of image processing. A wireless communication module is operatively coupled to the optical system to wirelessly communicate image data. And, a power source, the power source operatively coupled to the optical system and the wireless communication module.