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My wonder is why it shouldn't be powered by the sugar in the blood just like every other organ. That's where a real miracle will lie. I understand issues with c

My wonder is why it shouldn't be powered by the sugar in the blood just like every other organ. That's where a real miracle will lie. I understand issues with coagulation on silicon parts.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
I think you're right - that would be a miracle. I don't think we have the tech right now to use the sugar in such a way.
- ars 7y ago
  Wouldn't it be easier to use ATP instead of Sugar?
  - jxcl 7y ago
    You would need somewhere to generate the ATP. ATP doesn't flow around in our blood, but is generated inside cells for their own use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain
- wittenator 7y ago
  That's not entirely true. There are fuel cells which work by oxidizing blood. I can imagine that they are not efficient enough at this point, but it's a start.
throwaway5752 7y ago
You should invent that!
saagarjha 7y ago
I assume it’s hard to emulate cellular respiration in things that aren’t cells.
Pfhreak 7y ago
My money is that we invent this to combat/manage people's weight. A machine that slowly burns off excess glucose in the blood stream? Suddenly those extra calories aren't a problem! (There are probably a whole host of knock on effects that I'm not considering. I'm not a biologist.)
- inlined 7y ago
  Very interesting idea. It’s been ages since I took chemistry but I’m not sure what to break down. Glucose is C6H12O6. If we imagined nanobots that could break this down in any way (disregarding latent energy) the most obvious compounds are 6 water + benzene (which causes anemia) or 6 hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules (which causes hypoxia). We could follow traditional glycolysis but without a recapture method, would cells create excess ATP? What would that affect? Would it change the production of insulin and it’s affects on storing tryglicerides? I barely have enough knowledge here to ask questions let alone have answers.
  - marcosdumay 7y ago
    The most obvious option would be turning it into lactic acid right in the end of the kidneys. Any option you choose, people doing that would better drink a lot of water. Anyway, I'm not sure breaking glucose is that useful. Won't it just make people hungry?
    - inlined 7y ago
      The dream is a food prophylactic. Eat ice cream and decide that this particular meal won’t add calories.
      - marcosdumay 7y ago
        Yes, that would be great. But you'll have to deal with much more than glucose to get that.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

My wonder is why it shouldn't be powered by the sugar in the blood just like every other organ. That's where a real miracle will lie. I understand issues with coagulation on silicon parts.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago

I think you're right - that would be a miracle. I don't think we have the tech right now to use the sugar in such a way.

ars 7y ago
Wouldn't it be easier to use ATP instead of Sugar?
- jxcl 7y ago
  You would need somewhere to generate the ATP. ATP doesn't flow around in our blood, but is generated inside cells for their own use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain
wittenator 7y ago
That's not entirely true. There are fuel cells which work by oxidizing blood. I can imagine that they are not efficient enough at this point, but it's a start.

throwaway5752 7y ago

You should invent that!

saagarjha 7y ago

I assume it’s hard to emulate cellular respiration in things that aren’t cells.

Pfhreak 7y ago

My money is that we invent this to combat/manage people's weight. A machine that slowly burns off excess glucose in the blood stream? Suddenly those extra calories aren't a problem! (There are probably a whole host of knock on effects that I'm not considering. I'm not a biologist.)

inlined 7y ago
Very interesting idea. It’s been ages since I took chemistry but I’m not sure what to break down. Glucose is C6H12O6. If we imagined nanobots that could break this down in any way (disregarding latent energy) the most obvious compounds are 6 water + benzene (which causes anemia) or 6 hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules (which causes hypoxia). We could follow traditional glycolysis but without a recapture method, would cells create excess ATP? What would that affect? Would it change the production of insulin and it’s affects on storing tryglicerides? I barely have enough knowledge here to ask questions let alone have answers.
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  The most obvious option would be turning it into lactic acid right in the end of the kidneys. Any option you choose, people doing that would better drink a lot of water. Anyway, I'm not sure breaking glucose is that useful. Won't it just make people hungry?
  - inlined 7y ago
    The dream is a food prophylactic. Eat ice cream and decide that this particular meal won’t add calories.
    - marcosdumay 7y ago
      Yes, that would be great. But you'll have to deal with much more than glucose to get that.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]