Design, Mould, Grow!: A Fabrication Pipeline for Growing 3D Designs Using Myco-Materials

Abstract

There is a growing interest in sustainable fabrication approaches, including the exploration of material conservation and utilisation of waste materials. Particularly, recent work has applied organic myco-materials, made from fungi, to develop tangible, interactive devices. However, a systematic approach for 3D fabrication using myco-materials is under-explored. In this paper, we present a parametric design tool and a fabrication pipeline to grow 3D designs using the mycelia of edible fungi species, such as Reishi or Oyster mushrooms. The proposed tool is designed based on empirical results from a series of technical evaluations of the geometric and material qualities of 3D-grown myco-objects. Furthermore, the paper introduces an easy-to-replicate fabrication process that can recycle different organic waste material combinations such as sawdust and coffee grounds to grow mycelia. Through a series of demonstration applications, we identify the challenges and opportunities for working with myco-materials in the HCI context.