Bacterial Flagellum Motor

A cross-sectional schematic of the E. coli flagellar motor — one of biology's most precisely engineered nanomachines. 22 distinct components span 4 anatomical layers. The rotor spins at up to 1,700 Hz, driven by proton flow across the inner membrane. Click any component to explore its function and the sequential build dependencies that make the system work as an integrated whole.

22 Components 4 Layers Canvas 2D Live Rotor Animation GNI Framework v1.0
Outer membrane layer
Peptidoglycan / hook layer
Inner membrane layer
Axle / stator (gold)
1,700 Hz max rotor speed — E. coli

The rotor (MS-ring, C-ring, rod, filament) animates continuously. Hover any node to see a tooltip. Click to open the component detail panel — including assembly dependencies, engineering notes, and article links. Proton particles (blue dots) show the flow across the inner membrane that drives the stator.

Keyboard shortcuts
Tab / Shift+TabCycle through components
Space / EnterSelect focused component
EscClose panel / deselect
Arrow keysPan / orbit view
RReset view
PPause / resume animation
Read: The Flagellum Argument