biofabrication
Biofabrication is the use of engineered biological processes—such as bioprinting, bioassembly, and directed or enzymatic self-assembly—to automatically produce functional biological materials and structures. In plant science, these techniques allow researchers to grow living materials from fungal or plant-derived biomass into sustainable substitutes for leather, packaging, and building materials. This offers a renewable, biodegradable alternative to conventional manufacturing while deepening understanding of how organisms naturally construct complex tissue architectures.
open_in_new WikipediaOpenAlex · 2026-07-16
Researchers used AI-driven design algorithms alongside a living fungus, Ganoderma lucidum, to grow sound-absorbing acoustic panels, shaping both the panel's surface pattern and an internal air channel network that helps the fungus grow. The project shows how digital design and living materials can team up to make functional building materials that are grown rather than manufactured.
A genetic algorithm optimized panel surface patterns for sound diffusion using acoustic simulations of a 6x4x3m room, run through Rhino-Grasshopper and the Pachyderm plug-in.
A separate proximity algorithm designed a 3D-printed biodegradable wood-PLA scaffold that acts as an internal aeration network to boost oxygen flow and fungal growth within the panel.
Two working prototypes were built and grown, a 15x15cm proof-of-concept and a 40x40cm scaled-up panel, using CNC-milled MDF molds, vacuum-formed PET, and Ganoderma lucidum mycelium.
