BIONANOMECHANICAL SYSTEMS

Over the past two decades, advances in biophysical instrumentation have enabled the study of molecular motors at the single molecule level. These studies have inspired the creation of biological/inorganic systems powered by such motors in an attempt to exploit their unique sizes, speeds, functions, and energy utilization capabilities. We give a brief overview of the state-of-the-art of biological and synthetic molecular motors and discuss some initial efforts to exploit their function in engineered structures. We also briefly discuss the construction of devices powered by organized and coordinated arrays of millions of motors in which the growth of cardiac muscle tissue over a microfabricated silicon “skeleton” is directed and controlled.