A newly developed underwater camera without batteries may help MIT engineers tackle the difficulty of ocean exploration. The camera alsohttps://snipboard.io/XAZe3u.jpg features wireless connectivity and energy efficiency.
Battery-Free Underwater Camera Features
Compared to existing underwater cameras, the battery-free camera is around 100,000 times more energy-efficient. Additionally, it can take colorful pictures in low-light underwater conditions. A wireless connection can be used to transport data via the water as well.
The camera is distinctive because sound waves power it. The waves' mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy, which is used to power the equipment for communications and imaging. The camera employs sound waves to convey data to a receiver so that it can reconstruct the image once it has been captured and encoded.
The camera could be operational for several weeks before being retrieved, according to SciTechDaily. It would make it possible for researchers to look for novel organisms in far-off ocean regions. Additionally, it might be used to take pictures of ocean pollution or track the health and development of fish bred in aquaculture facilities.
Climate Monitoring Using the Battery-Free Camera
One of the most intriguing uses for the camera, according to Fadel Adib, senior author of a recent study on the device, is in the context of climate monitoring. Adib stated that, while they are developing climate models, more than 95% of the ocean's data is lacking. The technique might make it possible to create more precise climate models and understand the effects of climate change on the underwater environment.
How Does It Work?
The scientists wanted a tool that could autonomously harvest energy underwater while using very little power in order to create a camera that could run independently for extended durations.
Transducers were employed as a power source, according to the study that was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Piezoelectric transducers that serve as energy collectors are positioned all around the outside of the camera. An electrical signal is produced when mechanical force is applied to piezoelectric materials. When a sound wave travels through water, transducers vibrate; and this mechanical energy is later converted to electrical energy.
Any number of things, including passing ships or aquatic life, could be the source of those sound waves. When the camera has accumulated enough energy to power the electronics that take pictures and transmit data, it will turn on the stored energy.
The engineers employed commercial ultra-low-power image sensors to reduce power usage as much as possible. However, the images that these sensors record are solely in grayscale. Furthermore, scientists had to create a low-power flash because most underwater environments are dark.
Producing Colored Images and Sending Data
The researchers simultaneously used red, green, and blue LEDs. While taking a photo, the camera shines a red LED, which is subsequently processed by image sensors. The process is repeated with green and blue LEDs.
Despite the fact that the image appears to be black and white, the red, green, and blue colored lights are reflected in the white section of each photograph. By integrating the image data during post-processing, the three source photos can be used to produce the color image.
Images are captured, converted to bits (1s and 0s), and then transmitted one bit at a time to a receiver via a method called underwater backscatter. The receiver transmits sound waves through the water, and the camera acts as a mirror to reflect those waves back. The camera either reflects a wave back to the receiver or, to avoid reflection, converts its mirror into an absorber.
A hydrophone located close to the transmitter can pick up signals that are reflected back from the camera. If there is a signal, it receives a bit-1; otherwise, it receives a bit-0. The computer system reconstructs and modifies the image using this binary data.
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