Photodiode

Using extra-sensitive optical detectors built into a soft prosthetic hand, researchers at Cornell University have demonstrated a prototype that is able to tell by touch whether fruit is ripe, or to modify the pressure exerted on a material simply in response to the way it feels.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering claim to have created the first prototype video camera that is powered solely by the reflected light from the image that it is capturing. This new device has the potential to record indefinitely provided there is sufficient light available.