Scientists at Case Western Reserve University report a big step towards turning cockroaches into cyborgs. Case Western Reserve chemistry professor Daniel Scherson collaborated with biology research assistant Alan J. Pollack, chemistry professor Irene Lee, biology professor Roy E. Ritzmann, and graduate student Michelle Rasmussen to produce a biofuel cell to provide electricity for various recording devices, sensors or just to control an insect cyborg.
The team used two enzymes in sequence at the anode to transform the chemical energy produced from the insect into electricity. One of the enzymes breaks down the trehalose sugar, while the other oxidizes monosaccharides to discharge electrons. When electrons are attracted towards the cathode, the power flows and the O2 in the air is reduced to water by capturing the electrons.
The researchers first tested the system on trehalose solutions and then introduced prototype electrodes into the belly of a female cockroach. The team discovered that the cockroaches did not experience any long-lasting damage.
The researchers used potentiostat to measure the fuel cell output. The maximum current density of the biofuel cell was about 450 µA/cm2 with a maximum power density of nearly 100 µW/cm2 at 0.2 V.
The team is planning to shrink the biofuel cell so that it can be inserted into the bug without affecting the insect’s behavior. The team will examine which materials might last a long time inside the bug’s body. The researchers are also collaborating with other scientists to develop a signal transmitter, which can operate under minimum power.
Full details about the system are available online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Source: http://www.case.edu/