Author: СТРЕЖНЕВ МИХАИЛ АЛЕКСЕЕВИЧ / STREZHNEV MIKHAIL ALEKSEEVICH
Introduction
At one time, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky suggested the possibility of a biological engine in the form of a glass ball – like "a huge globe, only in a tiny form." In it, as on any planet, there is a quantity of matter and a certain cycle of substances takes place. "Our glass ball represents the semblance of a hypothetical being that dispenses with an unchanging amount of matter and lives forever"[3]. It turns out to be an "eternal biological engine".
I was interested in the idea of creating a biological engine so that it could be used as an alternative energy source to ensure long non-stop flights.
I chose this topic in my research as more difficult for me, on which there is not much material to study, unlike the same asteroids. I have also been interested in robotics for a long time and the topics of developing automated systems are familiar to me, but I always want to learn something new. I considered this direction to be the most relevant for the development of aircraft technology, since all existing methods are already at the peak of the capabilities used and something alternative needs to be considered. The research topic goes beyond the scope of my academic activities, covering biological and physico-chemical processes, but an engineer is in the year 2100 and should be a broad-profile specialist.
I was faced with a problem: is it possible to create a biological engine?
Hypothesis: A biological engine can become an alternative source of energy.
The purpose of the study: to consider the possibility of using a biological engine as an energy source in relation to ensuring a long non-stop flight of an aircraft.
Research objectives:
- collect information about the use of biomaterial to create an engine;
- get acquainted with existing biological engines;
- consider the possibility of using biological engines in space;
- to draw a conclusion about the possibility of using a biological engine as an energy source to ensure a long non-stop flight of an aircraft.
Biological engines in nature.
In nature, biomotors have existed throughout time. The rotary motor inherent in bacteria is an electric motor in its device, the so-called flagellar complex. It is used to rotate flagella and move cells in an aqueous medium. Special motor proteins develop significant mechanical force and make movements when working with DNA molecules[2].
Recently, nanotechnology has been actively studied and used in our country. Biological engines just belong to this area. They have nanoscale dimensions and higher efficiency compared to electric motors created by mankind. They are environmentally friendly and compatible with the environment. In fact, biological motors are protein molecules, and their construction with the necessary properties is possible by means of genetic engineering. The attractiveness of biomolecular motors for nanotechnology also lies in the fact that today they are practically the only really existing nanomotors. In reality, modern nanorobots are not used anywhere due to the lack of decent engines capable of making micro-bots move.
The disadvantage of biological motors are specific working conditions: acidity, liquid medium of salt composition and temperature.
Scientists have known for a very long time that some species of bacteria and other microorganisms have tails, the movement of which allows them to move forward. Previously, science has not been able to figure out what drives the flagella of bacteria. And only recently, researchers from the UK, using electronic cryotomography technology, obtained the first ever high-quality images of biological engines of natural origin, which somewhat resemble modern propulsion systems and consist of many different moving elements[2].
In their research, scientists used different types of bacteria as samples and, as it turned out, each type of bacterium has a unique biological engine that differs from the engines of other bacteria in shape, size, complexity of structure, power, rotation speed and other parameters[2].
The only common feature of all biological motors is a system of fixed molecular rings, a kind of equivalent to the stator of a conventional electric motor. This molecular stator allows the engine to generate torque, which is transmitted to the rotating organs of bacteria - a kind of propellers pushing them forward[2].
Some of the bacteria have "stators" of sufficiently large sizes, which allows them to produce more power and torque. The largest "stator" can be seen in the Campylobacter bacterium, it is twice as large as the "stator" of the Salmonella bacterium[2].
The images obtained by scientists serve to expose the erroneous idea that such biological machines are incredibly complex. Now, having information about the structure of biological engines of natural origin, scientists working in the field of nanotechnology can create their own bio-engines with the necessary dimensions, speed, power and other characteristics.
The first biological engines created
The development of artificial nanomotors is at the earliest stages.
Scientists working on the task of turning bacteria into nanorobots,
we paid attention to bacterial flagella in bacteria.
The laws of physics of the nanowire differ significantly from those known to us, therefore, having reduced to the nanoscale size of a microbe, a person simply could not move in a liquid medium. Bacteria do an excellent job with this function, using their natural mechanisms for movement.
Researchers tried to clone them by creating simplified nano-analogues, but they had a number of disadvantages, including significant high cost, poor mobility and increased fragility of products.
Scientists have grown a colony of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria, and then coated their flagella with silicon oxide and nickel — this allowed them to be affected by magnetic fields. In the course of research, it was revealed that they were able to move no worse than usual, overcoming a distance twice their own length in a second[2].
In 2015, scientists managed to create and launch an unusual biological engine using bacteria and the process of evaporation of water that constantly occurs on Earth.
By creating a new method based on the water cycle, scientists have obtained an endless source of environmentally friendly energy, the main elements of which are bacterial spores.
In natural conditions, the spores of most bacterial species expand several times when exposed to moisture. Once again in dry conditions, the spores shrink again, decreasing in size. It is this simple movement that formed the basis of the principles of operation of the biological engine created by scientists.
Currently, scientists are experimenting with the spores of various bacteria to further increase the deformation. This will allow the development of other similar technologies, the raw material for which will be water.
Researchers at the Italian Institute of Nanotechnology have developed a system of micro-motors powered by microorganisms and controlled by light.
For systems consisting of several micromotors, it is important that they all move at the same speed. For this purpose, an algorithm has been developed that processes data on the rotation speed of each micromotor and informs about those engines that rotate slower than others.
Thus, the first existing developments do not yet allow the full use of bio–engines in aviation, perhaps their application will primarily affect unmanned aerial vehicles, but so far my idea is only the future prospect of alternative energy use.
The possibility of using a biological engine in spacecraft
Will bacteria be able to live in space? Recently, a message appeared in the media that microorganisms "arrived from outer space" were found on the ISS. Samples were taken from the skin of the space station, in which spores were found. The seed material on Earth under normal conditions gave live bacteria. In addition, it turned out that microorganisms sent to the station can adapt to the conditions of outer space.
The use of bacteria in biological engines will help improve the ecology of the planet. Scientists have improved the most common bacteria, forcing them to process carbon dioxide into fuel.
Many heavy metals are poisonous to microbes, and some bacteria have developed a system of protection against such impurities by growing semiconductor crystals on their surface that neutralize the negative influence. This means that now we can recycle fuel without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The principle of flying saucer movement
In the Florentine town hall of Palazzo Vecchio there is a painting "Madonna with Saint Giovannino", the authorship of which is attributed to Domenico Ghirlandaio. If you pay attention to the background, in the right corner you can see a tiny man with a dog, who are carefully examining an incomprehensible spot in the sky – apparently nothing more than a flying saucer, from which rays radiate in all directions.
It is worth noting that UFOs in the paintings of the authors of the Middle Ages were not a rarity, but since then science has made little progress in their study.
The very fact of the existence of UFOs is still being questioned. But we are rather interested in the principle of movement of a flying saucer. And here the version presented by V.N.Megre in the series of books "Ringing Cedars of Russia" looks very convincing. He describes the power plant as the activity of living organisms. For the movement of various mechanisms, we currently use mainly the energy of explosion – expansion. But as follows from the laws of physics, there should also be an inverse compression energy, which humanity practically does not use. But if you combine these energies in one device, you can imagine the mechanism of UFO movement in space. We know of microorganisms that convert gaseous substances into solids, while the speed of these processes can be different. These bacteria are located on the inside of the upper surface of the flying saucer, suck in air, turning it into a solid body, while forming a vacuum ahead of the movement. The hardened jets of air passing through the base of the dish, thanks to microbes, again break up into gases, pushing the aircraft forward. To achieve a significant speed of this process for forward movement seems incredible, but twenty years ago, a cell phone for everyone was also a fantasy, as parents say. This area is very attractive for the study of engines in the energy sector, perhaps by 2100 we will already be using these discoveries.
Conclusion
So, we have considered the possibility of using alternative energy in the form of a biological engine. We found out that such engines exist in nature and are even being implemented by scientists. It is still a long way to practical application as an alternative energy source for flight support, but I think this is a very promising direction.
Currently, the energy of the expansion of matter in the form of interaction (explosion) of other substances is used to carry out movement both in the air and in space. But after all, according to the law of conservation of energy, there must also be an inverse compression energy. Science has not yet studied this issue sufficiently to use it in aviation and astronautics, but perhaps its solution lies in the field of microcosm and nanotechnology, when bacteria will create a vacuum or vacuum in the path of movement, and then use the same energy to expand behind aircraft. Fiction? No, because we have not yet learned how to use the energy from the explosion of a hydrogen bomb, using this process for peaceful purposes. So there is also a reverse reaction, when space can instantly shrink. And the bacteria created by nature can be useful in the operation of the biological engine in question.
Therefore, I believe that the biological engine is the future, no matter how incredible it looks now. I hope that in the near future my theory will be adopted and in a few years biomotors will become as familiar.
List of sources used.
Books
1. Megre V.N. Series of books "Ringing Cedars of Russia".
2. Alekseeva V.I. Russian cosmism: nature and man.
Electronic resource
3. The magazine "Popular Mechanics", www.popmech.ru