Guest_Jim_* Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 Something you may not realize when looking at them is that solar panels and digital cameras operate in very similar ways. Both technologies rely on photodiodes to convert light to an electrical current, but while one uses the current for power, the other measures it for optical information. Researchers at Columbia University decided to combine these two purposes and built a camera that is actually able to power itself. The camera is housed in a 3D printed body, consists of 40 x 30 pixels, and each pixel is made up of just two transistors. When in operation, the pixels switch between image capture and energy harvesting modes, charging capacitors to provide the necessary power. The researchers could have used a rechargeable battery instead, but opted for capacitors to better demonstrate the self-powered design. If the camera is not set up to record images, it can be used to power other devices. The hope for this first fully self-powered video camera is to lead to camera capable of running for very long durations, or even forever, as it is not reliant on an external power source. It could also be developed into a compact solid-state imaging chip. Source: Columbia University Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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