Comments on: Light-driven Nanomotor

By: Howard Butts

Howard Butts — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:31:35 +0000

This is the most exciting field of engineering I have ever heard of. Auto aliening of solar panels is just the tip of the proverbial ice burg. Not whole arrays of panels but individual mono micro collectors are the next step I am sure.

This is a great plot for a SciFi movie to get on with the unbelievable future.

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:47:07 +0000

Thanks, your thoughts hinge on the big problem identified in the story, that being harnessing the collective work of many motors. With regard to your 2nd thought, I would expect even distribution and thus near zero net work output. However, I agree if you can identify a method to align the motors, the net work would be useful.

By: Thanh

Thanh — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:06:45 +0000

I was wondering if they can use some kind of material which has magnetic property and by using externally controlled magnetic force to align the nanomotor in certain arrangement?

2nd thought:
Instead of worrying about alignment of individual nanomotor, could you just let the million or billion of nanomotors randomly exert their forces on some “piston” like surface? There will be some canceling of forces due the opposing affect of randomness, but there should be many other that exert forces on the surface of the “piston”.

By: Jos Conil

Jos Conil — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:44:45 +0000

This is an interesting development, perhaps an intial step towards the development of a sun powered, micro “Bio Robot!”.

Wish the researchers at Florida University every success!.