Chemotactic behavior and dynamics of bacteria propelled microbeads

Flagellated bacteria have been well understood in regards to its adhesion to surfaces and in swimming propulsion. However, its ability to be used as a source of propulsion for artificial microsystems is of great interest to the micro-robotics community; its high efficiency in converting chemical energy to motion is highly attractive for microsystems that demand a low payload and high rate of actuation. In this paper, we describe the behavior of Serratia marcescens bacteria-propelled polystyrene beads in the presence of a chemoattractant, L-threonine. We compare the results of this chemotactic behavior to that bacteria-propelled bead without a chemoattractant. The results from this analysis indicate a clear sign of directionality, as well as an improved bead velocity, for the bacteria-attached microbeads in the presence of a chemoattractant.