Microbe Powered Microscopic Motors

Scientists have yoked bacteria to power rotary motors,
the first microscopic mechanical devices to successfully
incorporate living microbes together with inorganic parts.

"In far future plans, we would like to make micro-robots driven
by biological motors," researcher Yuichi Hiratsuka,
a nanobiotechnologist now at the University of Tokyo,
told LiveScience.

This pear-shaped microbe, a millionth of a meter long,
can glide over surfaces at up to seven-tenths of an inch an hour.
Translated to a six-foot-tall runner, this roughly equates to 20 mph.

The researchers built circular pathways coated with sugary proteins,
which the microbe needs to stick to in order to glide over surfaces.
They then docked a rotor onto the track and coated the bacteria with
vitamin B7, which acted like glue to yoke the germs to the cog.
They also genetically modified the microbes so they stuck to their tracks
more stably.


SOURCE:
LiveScience.com

I think this is pretty interesting.
This article makes me think, technically these are
cybernetic machines.

Isnt this like nanotechnology? I also remember somewhere it said that bacteria themselves produce energy that can be harnessed for energy needs. Like a biological battery.

Actually it is nanotechnology.
To be more precise it bio-nano.

Bio-nano is a better choice than totally artificial,
like the one in my avatar.

Sounds interesting. How long until microbe rotary powered batteries become the next generation mobile power sources, like a fuel cell but better.

Amazing.i remember when micro-miniaturazation was the future.Now its bio-micro?WOW

I doubt you will be seeing these coming to power your cell phones or laptops, they wouldn't be too good at that. What they are good for is transporting drugs to their destination in a human body, or building Bio-produced products one cell at a time. It will be interesting to see how much control we can extert on machines that size. We may need extremely powerful computers to enable us to control trillions of the buggers to act as an active shield against disease in the human body. A second immune system would be nice wouldn't it? heh.