MIT builds battery from bacterial virus, humans to power machines by 2012

We've been tracking MIT professor Angela Belcher's attempt to build batteries and nano-electronics from viruses since 2006. Scientifically speaking, the so-called "virus" is actually a bacteriophage, a virus that preys only on bacteria while leaving humans of diminishing scientific knowledge alone to doubt that claim. Now, in a new report co-authored by Belcher, MIT research documents the construction of a lithium-ion battery (pictured after the break) with the help of a biological virus dubbed M13. M13 acts as a "biological scaffold" that allows carbon nanotubes and bits of iron phosphate to attach and form a network for conducting electricity. Specifically, MIT used the genetically engineered material to create the battery's negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. Best of all, MIT's technique can be performed at, or below room temperature which is important from a manufacturing perspective -- a process that MIT claims will be "cheap and environmentally benign." Already MIT has constructed a virus-battery about the size of that found in a watch to turn on small lights in an MIT lab. Belcher claims that just a third of an ounce (about 10 grams) of the viral battery material could power an iPod for 40 hours. In time and with enough effort MIT expects to scale the technology to power electronic vehicles. Remember, when the time comes choose the red pill.

[Via Scientific American, Thanks James]

[Remella @ Apr 3rd 2009 4:38AM]

Now, thats worth waiting!

[stephen @ Apr 3rd 2009 6:38AM]

will this work with vampire blood?

[haX0r @ Apr 3rd 2009 11:57AM]

All your base are belong to us....Neo.

[bolezhinkov @ Apr 3rd 2009 12:33PM]

ahhhh, the all your base thing is usually so over played. I dont know why this one struck me as funny.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 3rd 2009 4:43AM]

This actually isn't really that surprising.

Pretty much every biochemical process occurs at a rate much faster than by modern hardware. Most of the time, when you want to amplify or replicate something in biochemical labs today, you use existing life forms or enzymes extracted from life forms (e.g. PCR) rather than working from the ground up and building some piece of equipment that could do it for you. Technology usually only exists to simply data organization, but the core work is generally done by mother nature.

[PyRo1509 @ Apr 3rd 2009 4:46AM]

captain kill-joy just got promoted to admiral...

[brrip @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:02AM]

funny how this was discovered at MIT, not by randomonlinepersonwithakeyboard

[Spiraling Shape @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:33AM]

Sure, but batteries and microscopic networks of wires are not generally considered biochemical. Right now such microscopic circuits are made using photolithography, not specialized bacteria.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:37AM]

Yeah, actually that's my point.

Biochemical processes are almost always more efficient than the processes that modern electrical circuits govern. Hence, its not surprising that a biological battery is more efficient than a purely electrochemical one.

[dan @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:45AM]

Except if you read the article, it's not a 'biological battery' - they just used the viruses as a scaffold upon which to build the thing. It's slightly like claiming that your house is a 'biological home' because the frame is made of wood.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 3rd 2009 6:04AM]

True, the battery isn't completely governed by biological processes, but the specificity of the species is what allows efficiency. Since the virus binds to the phosphonanotubes, it more or less "directs" the electron flow that would have otherwise been relatively random in a traditional battery. Therefore, there is more energy generated that can either be released quickly to increase power generation, or released slowly at a standard voltage.

Of course, I'm not the one doing research at MIT, so what I'm saying is just conjecture based on courses I've taken.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 5th 2009 4:24PM]

Oh, and dan…

It's not so much like a "house is a 'biological home' because the frame is made of wood."

Its more like a "highway that's built for electrons by the bacteriophages"

[PyRo1509 @ Apr 3rd 2009 4:45AM]

mass win

[n3o4nd3rs0n @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:02AM]

this is it...12/21/12
the final convergence

[bk7 @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:34AM]

you mean 21/12/12 =]

[cb88 @ Apr 3rd 2009 8:45AM]

uurr.. 21/12/12 isn't a date here in the US... a course other countries use that format

[deanb @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:05AM]

Could be quiet good.

Though does the bacteria just build the battery (Like protein is built into Amino Acid's) or does it power the battery? like Aerobic respiration or summit, or those little cell based batteries that were mentioned a few years back that could spin 1mm propellers?

[404 @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:26AM]

It's not the bacteria that do the work, it's the bacteriophage virus. It looks like they grow the phage in the bacteria, extract it and then get it to align in certain ways on certain materials. It's been engineered to hold on to conductive carbon nanotubes, so then this little organised layer of virus particles pick up electrically conductive materials in layers that can act as anodes/cathodes in an electrical cell.

It's basically a way of constructing really miniature batteries. I think someone has mentioned them being flexible too, so you won't have to put up with rectangular objects: you might be able to mould it to go around corners in the device its powering to cram it into the casing and save space.

[Cargojack @ Apr 3rd 2009 10:05AM]

This is going to lead to fermenting-cheese power cell phones.

[BradS @ Apr 3rd 2009 3:53PM]

The French are working on that right now.

[darkmax @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:29AM]

is this battery going to cost the equivalent of 3-4 lithium-ion battery?.... I hope not.

[james.murphy.au @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:33AM]

james - thats me!

thats cool haha first news i've tipped on that's been posted with a thanks to me.

[trevor @ Apr 3rd 2009 9:10AM]

always feels good to help engadget out ^^

[SimonMac @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:34AM]

How long before I can shove a light bulb up my ass and turn myself into a human torch?

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:40AM]

Apparently, 2012.

[Patrick Flynn @ Apr 3rd 2009 5:41AM]

+1 sir...win

[webon @ Apr 3rd 2009 1:00PM]

if you pour gasoline allover your body and light it with a match after "screwing" that light bulb you can become a torch NOW, if you want the light bulb to light up that's a different story

[sotec_productions @ Apr 3rd 2009 6:31AM]

This is amazing....

...not the technology itself (alright, I admit it's pretty fucking cool) but the fact that we have Skynet, AI on it's way, and now biological batteries.

The worst part of it? It's not machines that are developing this technology as a way to break away and define their culture and eventually overtake and enslave us...it's the HUMAN machines that are getting all the work done.

Does this mean robots will be stupid? Maybe if we build a better battery, when the robots take over, they won't need us to power Machine City. We'll still be enslaved and forced to do the bidding of our robot overlords, yes, but at least they'll negate the need for us to charge their robot dildo's every night...

...although some of you, I suspect, would actually sign up for that occupation...

[Inlogic @ Apr 3rd 2009 6:51AM]

wtf?

[Eric D. @ Apr 3rd 2009 10:48AM]

you're joking... right?

[webon @ Apr 3rd 2009 1:08PM]

too much coffee man, too much

[DaDuntaDah @ Apr 3rd 2009 9:57PM]

I'm gonna go with high, because I was very intrigued ha.

[Luigi193 @ Apr 3rd 2009 8:08AM]

Iron (II) Phosphate or Iron (III) Phosphate?

[laughing_skullx @ Apr 3rd 2009 1:55PM]

Oh god you just brought back some old chemistry lessons...

[CaptSaltyJack @ Apr 3rd 2009 11:09AM]

Free...your mind.

[BradS @ Apr 3rd 2009 3:53PM]

...And the rest will follow.

[marcuscheng2709 @ Apr 3rd 2009 11:17AM]

This may be even more disturbing: a "vampire" battery.... http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/researchers+develop+vampire+battery+powered+blood+plasma/1457945/story.html

[BradS @ Apr 3rd 2009 3:52PM]

No joking yet on the professor's name of "Belcher"?

[gadgetEn @ Apr 3rd 2009 4:30PM]

....woah...

[Cray @ Apr 3rd 2009 7:57PM]

Battery tech is going to be a major battleground for scientist and engineers more than ever. I'm so glad that we have portable gadgets because that's whats fueling the new for more efficient power. Now that the auto industry is getting involved, the progression should move along at a steadier pace.

20 years ago this virus/battery idea would've been laughed at.

[Scot @ Apr 4th 2009 3:37AM]

My Dad still laughs at it now =/

[Generic @ Apr 4th 2009 4:12AM]

"Belcher claims that just a third of an ounce (about 10 grams) of the viral battery material could power an iPod for 40 hours."

Completely useless research if you don't mention which iPod ^o)

No seriously, coz the shuffle ain't the touch or the classic.

[MJ @ Apr 4th 2009 5:30AM]

excellent. cant wait to drive the new Volkswagen Polio!!!

[m @ Apr 4th 2009 2:11PM]

this is cool, but i hope the will more carefully consider the implications. she's quoted in the bbc as saying, "Put simply, we cant do anything that kills our organisms." what does that mean? people carelessly throw chemical batteries away all the time, even though we all know they're toxic. this bacteriaphage is harmless to humans, but we have a lot of bacteria inside of us that we need to be healthy. ditto for the soil in which we grow our food. since it's going to get out, so to speak, what does this strain do in the wild?

[Mercrae @ Apr 7th 2009 10:17PM]

Honestly though.. If 10 grams can do even an ipod shuffle for 40 hours then thats still pretty cool. I'm not sure how much the current shuffle battery weighs but i'm sure that it's moving in at least the right direction.