  Self-propelling bacteria are a dream of nano-technology. These unicellular
organisms are not just capable of living and reproducing, but they can swim
very efficiently, sense the environment and look for food, all packaged in a
body measuring a few microns. Before such perfect machines could be
artificially assembled, researchers are beginning to explore new ways to
harness bacteria as propelling units for micro-devices. Proposed strategies
require the careful task of aligning and binding bacterial cells on synthetic
surfaces in order to have them work cooperatively. Here we show that asymmetric
micro-gears can spontaneously rotate when immersed in an active bacterial bath.
The propulsion mechanism is provided by the self assembly of motile Escherichia
coli cells along the saw-toothed boundaries of a nano-fabricated rotor. Our
results highlight the technological implications of active matter's ability to
overcome the restrictions imposed by the second law of thermodynamics on
equilibrium passive fluids.
