Self-powered Camera

Engineers from the Columbia University in the United States created what is close to an “eternal camera”:

The prototype of this device can produce its own power to work by, not only interpreting the acquired light to make the image, but also converting it into energy for itself.

Each pixel of the camera has a photodiode, similar to those used in solar panels to generate energy. The main difference is that the devices in the panel only makes the energy available for use while in the camera, the photodiodes alternate between sending the light to be transformed into a picture and converting it into power.

The camera can only generate images with 30x40 pixels, but it can be interpreted by a person’s eye. A 40-second shoot, made with the prototype is shown below: 

By: Henrique Zamponi

References:
<http://www.cs.columbia.edu/CAVE/projects/self_powered_camera/>