| US and Britain plan cyborg warriors |
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| Investigations | |
| Written by Danny Penman | |
 It may have been one small step for the grasshoppers but it was one giant leap for mankind: scientists in Texas have implanted tiny biofuel cells into insects.American chemists developed the implantable biofuel cell – which runs off the body’s own glucose - to power electronic devices such as pacemakers and biosensors. But it is also likely to be used to power a whole range of new devices being developed by the military. The army is interested in using the implantable generator to power miniature biosensors that detect a soldiers’ state of mind and physical fitness. It could also be used to power electronic ‘dog tags’, ‘friend or foe’ detectors, and a sensor that detects nerve gases and automatically dispenses an antidote. “Bio-monitoring is very important for us,” says Colin Smedley, chief systems engineer for BAE Systems’ Future Infantry Soldier Technology development team. “Commanders need to constantly know the battle-readiness of their men.” “Anything that can do this whilst reducing the number of batteries required is of interest to us. Even something as simple as reducing the number of wires hanging off a soldier would be a great benefit.” The biofuel cell consists of a pair of fine, 2 cm long carbon fibre electrodes. One electrode is coated with a polymer and the enzyme glucose oxidase. This enzyme removes electrons from glucose. The other electrode is coated with the enzyme bilirubin oxidase, which adds electrons to dissolved oxygen. This reaction generates a small electric current. The only waste products are gluconolactone and water. The fuel cell has so far run successfully in grapes and green peppers. A smaller prototype – consisting of 3 millimetre long electrodes – has been tested in grasshoppers. Both died withing fifteen minutes. “We don’t know why they died,” says Nicolas Mano, Heller’s co-worker. Despite the military interesr, Heller says the biofuel cell is ideally suited for powering miniature “peaceful research tools” such as tracking devices for migrating birds. These would incorporate a GPS receiver, a capacitor and a radio transmitter. “Normally the size limiting component is the battery,” says Heller. “Using the biofuel cell we will be able to make sensors less than a millimetre square. This opens up a huge range of possibilities.” He also expects the biofuel cells to be incorporated into sensors for diabetics. These would automatically dispense enough insulin to stabilise blood sugar levels. Similar machines could be used to deliver painkillers to cancer patients as soon as an increase in stress hormones was detected. Tony Cass, Professor of biology at Imperial College, says that the biofuel sensor is a significant development. “There are myriad applications for it but I would expect some work would be needed to ‘stealth’ the fuel cell so that it doesn’t induce an immune response in the body,” says Cass. Ultimately, Heller aims to miniaturise the technology so that it will fit inside a single blood cell. This would incorporate a range of biosensors that would constantly transmit data. “So long as you don’t need much power, there’s really no limit to how small you can make such devices. The technology really is here to make these things fit inside an individual cell,” says Heller. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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