Scientists Harness Bacteria to Turn Microscopic Gears

December 22, 2009

Scientists have demonstrated a way to harness the motion of swimming bacteria to turn tiny gears. This bacteria-driven mechanism could someday power micro-machines that combine living organisms and man-made materials.

To build their rudimentary device, the research team first fashioned silicon gears measuring a mere 0.01 inches (380 micrometers) across and 0.002 inches (50 micrometers) thick. With their slanted teeth, the gears look rather like tiny ninja stars.

The microgears were then placed into a nutrient broth swarming with the microbe Bacillus subtilis, the workhorses in this setup. When supplied with nutrients and oxygen the bacteria scoot about randomly.

When their concentration becomes high enough, though, the microorganisms exhibit what is known as collective swimming.

“Once they cross a certain threshold, thebacteria make a flow as they swim and other bacteria get pulled into this flow,” explained study team member Igor Aronson, a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.

www.livescience.com...

Intriuging stuff, don't understand it though, would like to know more about it.

The power of swimming bacteria can be harnessed to turn tiny gears, opening the possibility of building hybrid biological machines at the microscopic scale.
Bacteria Gears
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8d3b1b9bd9c0.jpg[/atsimg]

Seems the flow is like a watermill.

Heh, sorry, I don't understand it either. But I have to say, awesome.

Human engineering continually amazes me.
Engineers engineering gears ; microscopic spheres
cut in the shape of tears

Bacteria taught to spin microscopic gears right round, could make for better solar panels
December 21, 2009

With a name like Bacillus subtilis and a size of five microns you probably wouldn't expect much in the way of heavy lifting, but don't let first impressions fool you. This tiny organism has been taught by scientists at Argonne National Laboratory to spin little gears that weigh one million times more than the bacteria themselves -- that'd be like you lifting both an original Xbox and a PS3 at the same time! Applications are, apparently, endless, but the one that caught our eye involves photovoltaics able to "snag lots of photons from the sun." You know what that means: more juice for your Prius so you can crank that Dead or Alive CD guilt-free.

www.engadget.com...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ea55c18fb546.jpg[/atsimg]

Here is a little more infomation on this topic, doesn't seem to be much out but hopefully more in the near future.

Originally posted by Aquarius1
Bacteria taught to spin microscopic gears right round, could make for better solar panels
December 21, 2009

With a name like Bacillus subtilis and a size of five microns you probably wouldn't expect much in the way of heavy lifting, but don't let first impressions fool you. This tiny organism has been taught by scientists at Argonne National Laboratory to spin little gears that weigh one million times more than the bacteria themselves -- that'd be like you lifting both an original Xbox and a PS3 at the same time! Applications are, apparently, endless, but the one that caught our eye involves photovoltaics able to "snag lots of photons from the sun." You know what that means: more juice for your Prius so you can crank that Dead or Alive CD guilt-free.

www.engadget.com...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ea55c18fb546.jpg[/atsimg]

Here is a little more infomation on this topic, doesn't seem to be much out but hopefully more in the near future.

Those gears spinning right round; the are like the technology that gets talked about.
The nanotech that could put redbloodcell-sized machines inside of our bloodstream.
The Singularity Film
Ray Kurzweil
Ted.com
This is a picture of what they are all talking about ?