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Salmonella bacterium provides an example of how nano-machines could be powered.
Powering nano-vehicles is a complex issue yet to be solved. Researchers know that external electric or magnetic fields could create small forces that cause the tiny machines to rotate or undergo intricate motions. But, they say, that approach would cause every nano-machine in the field to move in lock-step. Autonomous movement is preferred for uses such as microsurgery when machines need to move independently. Researchers look to biology for clues that could lead to an effective, self-directed nano-motor. Here, the tail-like structure of a Salmonella bacterium turning in a corkscrew motion and powered by stored chemical energy provides an example of how nano-machines could be autonomously powered.
Credit: Electron micrograph: J. A. Illingworth, Supercharged Cells, http://www.bmb.leeds.ac.uk/illingworth/6form/index.htm. Graphic: M. McDarby, Online Introduction to Biology (Advanced), Chapter 4, Cell Structure and Function, 2008.
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