It is thought by some scientists that nanomachines and re-configurable nanoscale electronic components of the future could be built from live bacteria. Robert Hamers of the University of Wisconsin-Madison says, “Nature has developed these fantastic building blocks… our approach is to simply grab them very gently,” Individual bacterial cells have been manipulated by his team using electrodes; they chose to use the bacterium Bacillus mycoide, which is 5 micrometers long and 0.8 wide – fairly large for bacteria. The technique for using them involves subjecting the microbes to an electrical field that polarizes them so they stick to the electrodes. The process can be observed through a visual microscope but the same process can be used on smaller bacteria that can’t be seen, the presence of smaller bacteria on the electrodes can be detected through observing a change in the electrical current.

A current-conducting bridge was formed by the bacteria with careful manipulation, it is this that researchers believe could lead to re-configurable nano-circuitry – Hamer says, “The idea of using cells as part of a more complex electronic circuit is very important.” His research saw the bacteria attach themselves to a long electrode and then be driven along it by the motion of the liquid they were suspended in; the bacteria are fixed in place when they reach a junction with another electrode, which basically means that the tiny creatures can be manipulated into achieving all kinds of different tasks.