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Researchers Design a Self-Powered Digital Camera

Posted by Soulskill on from the thankfully-not-a-selfie-powered-camera dept.

Jason Koebler writes: Researchers at Columbia University have designed a fully electric digital camera that powers itself using ambient light. Put in a well-lit room, it would work indefinitely. The camera's image sensor does double duty. It measures the light needed to make the photograph, and it also takes excess light and uses it to power a capacitor (it has no battery) that runs the camera (PDF). The research team says the technology can be used to create self-powered cameras that can live on the internet of things.

9 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yeah, yeah... by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    Then it takes very dark pictures.

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  2. Re:Story is that it's a very low power camera by gurps_npc · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I can think of several situations where a camera is desirable but what you want won't work. The main example is observation of large areas where capture rate is meaningless.

    For example if you want to look for forest fires, you plant a camera on a high spot, overlooking a large area of forest. It takes a picture every hour.

    Another example is time lapse photos for environmental/biological research.

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  3. Re:Yeah, yeah... by Shakrai · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't you read the summary? It's a "fully electric" digital camera. If you want low light performance you need one with a gasoline engine. :)

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  4. Re:Story is that it's a very low power camera by orasio · · Score: 2

    Power over ethernet implies cables.
    Expected capture rate is not always 30/60fps.

  5. Re:JFC! by JazzLad · · Score: 2

    Terrorists will have access to really, really crappy photos?

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  6. This could be useful in an artificial retina by SuseLover · · Score: 2

    This would be perfect for powering an eye implant like the one recently demonstrated in the news.

  7. Re:Story is that it's a very low power camera by afidel · · Score: 3, Informative

    For outdoor use you'd be better served by a $10 solar panel and a battery or supercapacitor.

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  8. Re:Nobody will use it by zlives · · Score: 2

    welcome to the internet of things

  9. Re:Story is that it's a very low power camera by Wraithlyn · · Score: 3

    No problem... you can just setup a wireless transmitter. Powered by other cameras of course.

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