Tiny bio-robot is a germ suited-up with graphene quantum dots

Graphene quantum dots deposited on a sporating bacteria produces a graphene coated spore. Upon attachment of electrodes across the cell, a bio-electronic device is produced that is highly sensitive to humidity. Here, the spore reacts actively to humidity; and the reaction is translated to an electronic response from the interfaced graphene quantum dots. CREDIT Credit: Berry Research Laboratory at UIC

As nanotechnology makes possible a world of machines too tiny to see, researchers are finding ways to combine living organisms with nonliving machinery to solve a variety of problems.

Like other first-generation bio-robots, the new nanobot engineered at the University of Illinois at Chicago is a far cry from Robocop. It’s a robotic germ.

UIC researchers created an electromechanical device–a humidity sensor–on a bacterial spore. They call it NERD, for Nano-Electro-Robotic Device. The report is online at Scientific Reports, a Nature open access journal.

“We’ve taken a spore from a bacteria, and put graphene quantum dots on its surface–and then attached two electrodes on either side of the spore,” said Vikas Berry, UIC associate professor of chemical engineering and principal investigator on the study.

“Then we change the humidity around the spore,” he said.

When the humidity drops, the spore shrinks as water is pushed out. As it shrinks, the quantum dots come closer together, increasing their conductivity, as measured by the electrodes.

“We get a very clean response–a very sharp change the moment we change humidity,” Berry said. The response was 10 times faster, he said, than a sensor made with the most advanced man-made water-absorbing polymers.

Bio-Robot Lives off of Photosynthesis Like a Plant

The Latest on: Bio-robot

[google_news title=”” keyword=”Bio-robot” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]

via Google News

The Latest on: Bio-robot

Best robot mops in 2024
on May 3, 2024 at 12:49 pm
The best robot mops deep clean your floors without leaving streaks. These handy cleaners complement the best robot vacuums, coming in once all debris has been removed from the floor. Robot mops ...
The Best Robo-Advisors Of April 2024
on May 1, 2024 at 4:36 am
Rae Hartley Beck first started writing about personal finance in 2011 with a regular column in her college newspaper as a staff writer. Since then she has become a leader in the Financial ...
The Best Robot Mops for 2024
on April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Retire your old mop and bucket. The top robot mops we've tested keep your floors spick-and-span with little effort on your part. I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an ...
The Best Robot Vacuums for 2024
on April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Want to keep your floors clean without lifting a finger? Robot vacuums are more capable and affordable than ever, and these top-tested models can help lighten your home maintenance load. I’m ...
Over 750 projects showcased at university expo
on April 27, 2024 at 9:27 pm
Lovely Professional University organised its annual Innovation and Graduating Project Expo-2024, INNOTEK. The Department of Student Research ...
Best Robot Vacuums for 2024
on April 26, 2024 at 7:15 am
We've picked out the best robot vacuums after putting them through extensive testing methodologies we've fine-tuned over the years. Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text ...
Sanctuary’s new humanoid robot learns faster and costs less
on April 25, 2024 at 12:41 pm
Sanctuary AI often isn’t mentioned in the same breath as humanoid robotics firms like Boston Dynamics, Agility, Figure and 1X, but the Canadian company has been operating in the space for some time.
10 best thrilling anime like Ghost In The Shell that you need to watch
on April 19, 2024 at 5:50 am
In a post-apocalyptic Earth facing attacks from alien beings called Angels, 14-year-old Shinji Ikari is selected to pilot Evangelion bio-robot combat mechs to safeguard humanity's last fortress city.
Unit information: Biorobotics in 2025/26
on April 16, 2024 at 5:47 pm
The unit is split into three sections, 1) learning about the state-of-the-art through expert seminars and discussions, 2) mastering core skills useful to produce biorobot solutions, and 3) delivering ...
Unit information: Biorobotics in 2031/32
on April 16, 2024 at 5:42 am
The unit is split into three sections, 1) learning about the state-of-the-art through expert seminars and discussions, 2) mastering core skills useful to produce biorobot solutions, and 3) delivering ...