MIT Engineers Create Wireless, Battery-Free Underwater Camera

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MIT Engineers Create Wireless, Battery-Free Underwater Camera - ExtremeTech:

As of now, a majority of the ocean has gone unprobed. Most of the underwater cameras used to investigate this part of the planet are incredibly unwieldy or expensive to operate: They either wire power from a separate vessel, thus limiting their mobility, or they require battery top-offs from crews on ships. Sending divers into hard-to-reach areas is typically a no-go, too, given the extreme amounts of pressure in places like the Mariana Trench and the deepest corners of the Gakkel ridge. Without the help of autonomous equipment, scientists are left to make educated guesses about what could be hidden in these mysterious places.

MIT's new camera could be exactly the equipment oceanographers and marine biologists need. The engineers started by creating an exterior containing transducers made of piezoelectric materials, or solids that produce electricity under certain mechanical stressors. As sound waves traveling through the water hit the camera, these piezoelectric transducers vibrate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. The camera can then use the energy or store it for later.

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