Video camera batteries last up to two and a half times longer with new discovery.

Researchers have been looking for a new data storage method for cameras and video cameras that is energy-saving yet cheap. Dr Mohammed G. Khatib of the University of Twente (UT) has developed just such a new data storage method. Video cameras will now run up to two and a half times longer on one battery thanks to the integration of new technology. Khatib recently obtained his PhD for work on this subject at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Almost everyone has a digital camera or video camera. Video cameras often store data on a disc such as a DVD (disc memory). Cameras usually store data on a memory card such as a flash card (flash memory). Both methods have their own specific disadvantages. For example, storage on a disc takes a great deal of energy so that the batteries have to be charged frequently. Storage on a memory card, on the other hand, is very expensive. A promising new storage technology makes use of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems or microelectromechanical systems). Mohammed G. Khatib of the UT has optimized this technology for application in mobile, portable battery-fed systems, such as cameras and video cameras. The new method is energy-saving and cheap; in fact, MEMS consume a fifth of the energy of disc storage. In the case of a video camera, this means that the life of a battery is extended by a factor of two and a half.

MEMS technology

MEMS technology is not new in itself. It is, for instance, already used in iPhones and Wiis. These devices contain sensors that use MEMS. Khatib, however, uses MEMS to store data. The advantage of this method over current storage systems is that it equals the flash in energy consumption but is cheaper. This new, green storage technology can handle extremely high data densities. A storage density of 4Tb/in² has already been demonstrated on an experimental basis. That means that this technology enables the fabrication of a storage device the size of a fingernail with a capacity of 1 Tb (around 200 DVDs). The energy consumption remains extremely low. MEMS therefore combine the advantages of a disc (cheap) and a memory card (economical in terms of energy consumption). Khatib expects this new technology to be available for general use within five years.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System. This illustration was made available by the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory.

Note for the press

Mohammed G. Khatib took his PhD (which he obtained on 11 June 2009) in the Distributed and Embedded Security research group of the TU Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science and the Centre for Telematics and Information Technology (CTIT). Khatib was supervised by Prof. Pieter Hartel and Dr Leon Abelmann. The research was funded by the Technology Foundation STW.

The thesis ‘MEMS-based Storage Devices. Integration in Energy-Constrained Mobile Systems’ is available in digital form.

Contact: Rianne Wanders, +31 (0)53-489 2721

Source: Universiteit Twente University of Twente