Sony Rolls Out Hand-Powered Digital Camera

December 14, 2007 8:56 a.m. EST

Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Consumer electronics giant Sony unveiled a prototype hand-powered digital camera called the "Twirl N' Take." In the same vein as previous hand-powered radios and flashlights, 15 seconds of movement generates enough power to snap a photo.

According to reports, the "Twirl N' Take" is shaped like a pizza cutter and includes 3-megapixel mobile phone digital camera technology. Sony doesn't plan to market the device.

The hand-powered digital camera might make a nice companion to the XO laptop from One Laptop Per Child project. The XO can be recharged using hand-power.

Unlike most digital cameras, the Sony hand-powered product doesn't include an LCD monitor, requiring users to connect the "Twirl N' Take" to a computer in order to view photos taken.

No word on how many photos users get per 15-second charge.

The "Twirl N' Take" is just the latest environmentally-friendly electronics from Sony. The Tokyo company has also created the "Crank N' Capture" video camera and the "Spin N' Snap" camera.