Washington, April 16 (ANI): Scientists have invented a
prototype video camera, that runs without a battery.
The first to be fully self-powered, the camera, created by the
research team led by Professor Shree K. Nayar, T.C. Chang
at Columbia Engineering, can produce an image each
second, indefinitely, of a well-lit indoor scene. The pixel is
designed as such that it can not only measure incident light
but also convert the incident light into electric power.
Nayar realized that although digital cameras and solar
panels have different purposes - one measures light while
the other converts light to power - both were constructed
from essentially the same components. The photodiode in a
camera pixel is used in the photoconductive mode, while in
a solar cell it is used in the photovoltaic model.
Working with research engineer Daniel Sims BS'14 and
consultant Mikhail Fridberg of ADSP Consulting, he used off-
the-shelf components to fabricate an image sensor with
30x40 pixels. In his prototype camera, which is housed in a
3D printed body, each pixel's photodiode is always operated
in the photovoltaic mode.
The pixel design is very simple, and uses just two
transistors. During each image capture cycle, the pixels are
used first to record and read out the image and then to
harvest energy and charge the sensor's power supply-the
image sensor continuously toggles between image capture
and power harvesting modes. When the camera is not used
to capture images, it can be used to generate power for
other devices, such as a phone or a watch.
The prototype was the first demonstration of a fully self-
powered video camera, and they believe the results were a
significant step forward in developing an entirely new
generation of cameras that can function without being
externally powered.
The findings will be presented at the International
Conference on Computational Photography at Rice
University in Houston. (ANI)
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