Future Tense

Technology: Super-battery built from viruses

Researchers: MIT Professors Angela Belcher, Paula Hammond, and Yet-Ming Chiang

Early adopter(s): Still in research and development phase

What it does: Viruses are being used to create a new type of tiny battery, made with a simple stamping technique that could power miniature devices. By manipulating the genes inside certain viruses, the MIT team was able to coax the organisms to grow and self-assemble into a functional electronic device.

Purpose: The batteries could be used to power electronic medical devices such as drug-delivery capsules and, later, hearing aids and pacemakers.

Potential Improvement: Nanostructured materials can improve the electrochemical properties of lithium-ion batteries, which leads to longer life and more powerful batteries. In addition, by harnessing the electrostatic nature of the assembly process with the functional properties of the virus, researchers can create highly ordered composite thin films combining the function of the virus and polymer systems.

What's Next: The researchers have filed a patent application for the system.

—Kathryn Mackenzie