Bio-Nanorobotics: A Field Inspired by Nature - Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies - page 211

this approach is the use of zinc to control F 1 -ATPase, which is able to rotate a nanopropeller in the
presence of ATP. A computational algorithm (Hellinga and Richards, 1991) was used to determine
the mutations necessary to engineer an allosteric zinc-binding site into the F 1 -ATPase using site-
directed mutagenesis. The mutant F 1 -ATPase would rotate an actin filament in the presence of ATP
with average torque of 34 pNm. This rotation could be stopped with the addition of zinc, and
restored with the addition of a chelator to remove the zinc from the allosteric binding site (Liu et al.,
2002). This type of approach can be used for the improvement of other protein-based nano
components.
These biocomponents seem to be a very logical choice for designing nanorobots. In addition, since
some of the core applications of nanorobots are in the medical field, using biocomponents for these
applications seems to be a good choice as they both offer efficiency and variety of functionality. This
idea is clearly inspired by nature's construction of complex organisms such as bacteria and viruses
which are capable of movement, sensing, and organized control. Hence, our scope would be limited to
the usage of these biocomponents in the construction of bio-nanorobotics. A roadmap is proposed
which details the main steps towards the design and development of bio-nanorobots.

7.3.1 The Roadmap

The roadmap for the development of bio-nanorobotic systems for future applications (medical, space,
and military) is shown in Figure 7.6. The roadmap progresses through the following main steps:

Step 1: Bio-Nano Components

Development of bio-nano components from biological systems is the first step towards the design
and development of an advanced bio-nanorobot, which could be used for future applications (see

Automatic Fabrication
and Information
Processing

Bio Sensors

A Bio-nano
Computational Cell

Distributive
Intelligence
Programming and
Control

DNA Joints

A Bio-nanorobot
(Representative)

A Bio-Nano Information
Processing cell

Assembled
Bio-Nano
robots

Bio Motors

Bio-Nano
Components

Automatic Fabrication
Floor
STEP 4

Bio-nano Swarms

STEP 1
2008

STEP 2 STEP 3

2013 2018 2023

Project Progression

Figure 7.6 (See color insert following page 302) The roadmap illustrating the system capability targeted as the

project progresses.