A group of students from Newcastle in the UK are attempting to combine electronic engineering and synthetic biology to create a light bulb. The bulb is meant to switch on when the bacteria experience heat stress from a miniature microbial fuel cell which is a device that acts as a battery by harnessing electrical energy from the action of microbes. They also designed a circuit to connect the bulb and the power source in the hopes of creating a kit that can snap together as easily as a Lego set.
The project will debut in International Genetically Engineering Machine competition, an annual global competition that ends in a synthetic biology science fair called the Giant Jamboree. Although they failed to get the fuel cell to activate the lightbulb in the final round of testing, team member ollie Burton says the main goal is to create a toolkit that will encourage others to build on the idea.
The project will debut in International Genetically Engineering Machine competition, an annual global competition that ends in a synthetic biology science fair called the Giant Jamboree. Although they failed to get the fuel cell to activate the lightbulb in the final round of testing, team member ollie Burton says the main goal is to create a toolkit that will encourage others to build on the idea.