Scientists Enslave Bacteria to Power Tiny Microsized Motor
Italian scientists from the University of Rome managed to harness free floating E. coli bacteria to turn a tiny crankshaft. Although potential uses for such a tiny and unusual motor drive are not yet clear, no doubt interesting applications in medicine and life sciences should present themselves over time.
clipped from glass.phys.uniroma1.itLuca Angelani
Micromotors pushed by biological entities constitute a fascinating way to
convert chemical energy into mechanical work at the micrometer scale. We show
that a properly designed asymmetric object can be spontaneously set into the
desired motion when immersed in a chaotic bacterial bath.
clipped from glass.phys.uniroma1.itSelf-starting micromotors in a bacterial bath
Micromotors pushed by biological entities, constitute a fascinating way to convert chemical energy into mechanical work at the micrometer scale. We show that a properly designed asymmetric object can be spontaneously set into the desired motion when immersed in a chaotic bacterial bath. [more]
clipped from glass.phys.uniroma1.itA Bacterial Ratchet Motor
A nano-fabricated asymmetric gear (48 μm external diameter, 10 μm thickness)
rotates clockwise at 1 rpm when immersed in an active bath of motile
E.coli cells, visible in the background.
rotates clockwise at 1 rpm when immersed in an active bath of motile
E.coli cells, visible in the background.
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Sources:
- Scientists Enslave Bacteria to Power Tiny Microsized Motor
- Luca Angelani - Home
- Roberto Di Leonardo - Home
- RDL - Tube
- Technology Review: Blogs: arXiv blog: Self-Propelling Bacteria Harnessed to Turn Gears
- Bacteria Harnessed To Power Micro-Motor | Singularity Hub
- [0812.2375] Self-Starting Micromotors in a Bacterial Bath
- [0910.2899] A bacterial ratchet motor
- Miss Atomic Bomb: Letting bacteria work for you
- Random motion of bacteria could drive micromotors - physicsworld.com
- Column: The crucible
