And so it begins: Cellborg is first perfect marriage of biology, technology

A team led by Ravi Saraf of the University of Nebraska has come up with the "Cellborg," which combines bacteria with electronics to create an amazingly sensitive humidity detector. The body of the bacteria becomes a bridge between a silicon chip and tiny particles of gold, effectively gold-plating the organism. When the body of the bacteria swells as it absorbs infintesimal amounts of moisture, it pushes the gold plating further apart, thereby altering the ability of the cellborg to conduct electricity. The conductivity can be analyzed to provide researchers with the level of humidity.

As in yesterday's posting about the Wasp Hound, this is another example of machinery and nature acting in harmony to achieve a greater purpose. It's unclear where the future of this type of technology is headed, but it's fun to imagine cyborgs that take advantage of some of the more miraculous of evolution's inventions. Since some microorganisms are "solar-powered," we might one day look forward to a whole host of devices that are powered by earth-friendly cellborgs.

For a gallery of celebrities who have been photoshopped into cyborgs:
http://www.worth1000.com/cache/gallery/contestcache.asp?contest_id=4163&display=photoshop


For all the latest in cyborg news:
http://headlesschicken.ca/cyborgblog/