Final answer:
An optical disk is a storage hardware device that was instrumental in enabling digital computers to efficiently process and store large amounts of information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The device among the given options that serves as an example of a storage hardware device is C. Optical disk. These disks are used to store data that can be read by a laser, and were crucial in allowing digital computers to handle large amounts of information efficiently. Optical discs began to gain popularity in the 1990s as they started replacing cassette tapes. They became a widespread storage solution partly due to their ability to store large quantities of data and provide easy access to this information. Neither barcode scanners, central processing units, nor random access memory serve as storage devices in the same permanent or semi-permanent capacity that an optical disc does.