New motor first to be powered by living bacteria

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The scanning electron micrograph at left shows an overview of the silicon track designed to coax the bacteria into moving in a uniform direction around the circular tracks. In the center two cells glide along the wall in the track. The illustration a ...
The scanning electron micrograph at left shows an overview of the silicon track, designed to coax the bacteria into moving in a uniform direction around the circular tracks. In the center, two cells glide along the wall in the track. The illustration at right of a circular track shows how the bacteria bind to and pull the rotor. Image credit: Yuichi Hiratsuka, et al.
A new motor designed by scientists from Japan offers the best of both worlds: the living and the non-living. The group built a hybrid micromachine that is powered by gliding bacteria which travels on an inorganic silicon track and pushes a silicon dioxide rotor. The combination takes advantage of the precise engineering of synthetic devices along with the efficient energy conversion and potential for self-repair of biological systems.


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