Visual Speedometer Inspired by Pseudomonas Bacteria

Innovation: Academia

Princeton University

2019

Send Light Signals in the Visible Spectrum

The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can detect. Visible light can be thought of in two ways–light as illumination (such as that used by fireflies) and colors that result from light being absorbed or reflected. Living systems use light for a variety of purposes. Sometimes, they use it to make themselves highly visible (like a peacock showing off his brilliant feathers to a potential mate). Other times, they use it to become virtually invisible (like an owl hiding in plain sight when it rests during the day). When a living system sends a light signal, it must create that light or color in an energy- and material-efficient way. Living systems create and enhance color using such strategies as non-toxic pigments, structures that bend and absorb different wavelengths, and chemical processes that create bioluminescence.

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Sense Motion

Perceiving motion is important for a living system to sense where it is in relation to a moving environment, which is critical in locating resources or wayfinding. This applies whether the environment itself is in motion (such as water movement coming from a nearby fish) or the living system is moving within a stationary environment (such as a bird flying through the air). Because motion dampens over distance and the cost of missing those motion signals is high, living systems must be quite sensitive to these signals. For example, fast-flying big brown bats have microscopic, stiff, domed hairs on their wing membranes that act as a sensor array to monitor flight speed and airflow conditions.

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Speedometer from Princeton University connects a bacterial flow-regulating and light-emitting genes to create a real-time visual flow meter.

Benefits

Dynamic
Responsive

Applications

Medical treatment
Sensors

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 9: Industry Innovation & Infrastructure

Bioutilization

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The Challenge

Flow monitoring systems are important in many different industries. Whether to measure blood flow in medical settings, or pipe flow in industrial settings, the rate is an important parameter that may dictate the system’s performance. Traditional flow sensors are force-based, meaning they need to be in contact with the liquid to sense the flow rate, which can result in contamination.

Innovation Details

The speedometer is made of a bioengineered connection between the flow regulated operon present in the pseudomonas bacteria and the gene that causes the bacteria to glow. The bacteria’s glow intensity changes in real time as flow rates change.

Biomimicry Story

Some bacteria use rheosensing as a way to detect liquid movement in their surroundings. Rheosensing is a force-independent sensory mechanism based on the rate the fluid passes by.

References

Journal article

Microfluidic-based transcriptomics reveal force-independent bacterial rheosensing

Nature Microbiology

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