A Camera Without a Battery Becomes a Reality

introduction

Have you ever thought of a camera that does not need a battery to power it? It has become a reality due to the efforts put in by a group of researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist. It would be the world's first self-powered video camera. The researchers claim that it produces an image each second. It seems the research team has designed a pixel that measures incident light and convert that to electrical power. In this article, we would be looking at the features of the self-powered camera for the benefit of the readers.

Significance of Discovery

Under the technical supervision of Shree K. Nayar, a team from Columbia University has developed this beautiful camera. He is working as TC Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. The world is going through a period of digital revolution. The companies have sold about 2 billion cameras of various types across the globe last year. Many of the cameras sold in last couple of years have used the latest in digital imaging technology. The company has used this technology in many wearable devices, smart environments, sensor networks and personalized medicine. Looking at the response and the trend, the reputed brands in the digital imaging field have begun to develop advanced and yet compact cameras keeping in mind the tech-savvy customers. In such a scenario, its development camera without an external power supply would be a welcome trend in the digital imaging market.

World's First Self-powered Camera

This camera uses very same set of components to become self-reliant. The components installed in the camera measure the light and convert it into electrical energy. The developers say that they have installed an image sensor with 30x40 pixels. An image sensor chip will have millions of pixels. Each pixel generally has a photodiode to produce electricity when light falls on it. The same unit has an extension to generate current from the electricity. This dual functionality helps the camera to churn out images at a better rate and get power from the light. Moreover, the bringing of two functionalities in same part has reduced the weight and size of the new camera. Hence, the users can hold this camera with ease. They can even hold it on their palm while shooting a picture. If the camera is bulkier, it would be difficult to focus on a distant object and the takes would become hazy. Moreover, the users will get more time to shoot a film using this camera as it has an auto-rechargeable and high-capacity battery.