2020/08/22 by Adamatzky, Andrew, Gandia, Antoni, Chiolerio, Alessandro
#Emerging Technologies (cs.ET) #FOS: Computer and information sciences
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2008.09814
A fungal skin is a thin flexible sheet of a living homogeneous mycelium made by a filamentous fungus. The skin could be used in future living architectures of adaptive buildings and as a sensing living skin for soft self-growing/adaptive robots. In experimental laboratory studies we demonstrate that the fungal skin is capable for recognising mechanical and optical stimulation. The skin reacts differently to loading of a weight, removal of the weight, and switching illumination on and off. These are the first experimental evidences that fungal materials can be used not only as mechanical `skeletons' in architecture and robotics but also as intelligent skins capable for recognition of external stimuli and sensorial fusion.