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Cyborg Cells Sense Humidity

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the weird-science dept.

Gadgetizer writes "Mark Peplow over at Nature.com published this story on 'Cellborg Technology' yesterday: "Living bacteria have been incorporated into an electronic circuit to produce a sensitive humidity gauge. The device unites microbe and machine, taking advantage of the properties of both to make for a supersensitive sensor. "As far as we know, this is the first report of using microorganisms to make an electronic device," says Ravi Saraf, a chemist from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, who developed the 'cellborg' with his student Vikas Berry."

5 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. I've always wondered... by GreyWolf3000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...how the original Borg came about. It all starts with harmless Cellborgs, then you link them to a massive interconnected network, and then they start thinking on their own. And then they take over.

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  2. Wow, great invention by LeonGeeste · · Score: 5, Funny

    No one's ever come up with a way to gauge humidity before. This'll surely be more cost effective than all current alternatives.

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  3. Doesn't seem to rely on living cells by G4from128k · · Score: 5, Interesting
    TFA suggests that the device continues to work even after the cells die. This suggests a simple physical response -- these ugly bags of mostly water tend to swell in the presence of humidity. If the device had ceased to function when the bacteria died, then we'd have something.

    In any event, it does suggest an approach to more sensitive humidity detectors using gold-coated hydrophilic particles. Replacing the bacteria with some other polymer capsules could lead to a more repeatable sensor with ultra-high sensitivity.

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  4. NO!!! by spirit_fingers · · Score: 5, Funny

    There are farms, Neo, vast farms where bacteria are grown, to turn a germ into... THIS. [HOLDS UP HUMIDITY SENSOR]

  5. Another notable first... by Myself · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This also marks the first time that a student and prof got equal billing when their research was announced. That's a more significant step than the sensor itself!