Responsive fungal insoles for pressure detection

Nikolaidou, Anna; Phillips, Neil; Tsompanas, Michail Antisthenis; Adamatzky, Andrew

Abstract

Mycelium bound composites are promising materials for a diverse range of applications including wearables and building elements. Their functionality surpasses some of the capabilities of traditionally passive materials, such as synthetic fibres, reconstituted cellulose fibres and natural fibres. Thereby, creating novel propositions including augmented functionality (sensory) and aesthetic (personal fashion). Biomaterials can offer multiple modal sensing capability such as mechanical loading (compressive and tensile) and moisture content. To assess the sensing potential of fungal insoles we undertook laboratory experiments on electrical response of bespoke insoles made from capillary matting colonised with oyster fungi Pleurotus ostreatus to compressive stress which mimics human loading when standing and walking. We have shown changes in electrical activity with compressive loading. The results advance the development of intelligent sensing insoles which are a building block towards more generic reactive fungal wearables. Using FitzHugh-Nagumo model we numerically illustrated how excitation wave-fronts behave in a mycelium network colonising an insole and shown that it may be possible to discern pressure points from the mycelium electrical activity.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 14, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 21, 2023
• Publication Date: Mar 21, 2023
• Deposit Date: Mar 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2023
• Journal: Scientific reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Research (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 4595
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31594-9
• Keywords: Biomaterials; Fungi; Sustainability; Biosensing; Diagnosis; Quality of life
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10574890
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31594-9