Blending tech and nature: The rise of the biohybrid controller
The BioHybrid Device controller, while lacking programmable buttons, advanced haptic features, or highly refined triggers, is distinctive due to its unique composition from biological materials such as bacteria and yeast.
Scientists consistently astonish us with their unconventional ideas, challenging the confines of traditional technology and paving the way for remarkable possibilities. One such project is a gaming controller known as the BioHybrid Device, crafted using symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast.
This device not only redefines our perception of technological interfaces but also encourages contemplation on how they integrate with the natural environment. The innovative approach adopted by the BioHybrid Device's creators hints at a new direction in electronics design, where the lines between technology and biology increasingly blur.
Controller from bacterial and yeast cultures
The novelty of the controller lies in the fact that, instead of traditional assembly, the BioHybrid is "grown" using biological and digital production processes. The creators of the controller employ morphogenesis to envelop the electrical components with symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast. Thus, it can be said that this controller grows.
Design details reveal that the controller shapes itself through the natural growth and spread of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), incorporating conductive elements, sensors, and output components into its structures. Vivien Roussel, Madalina Nicolae, and Marc Teyssier are the minds behind this project.
Does the bacteria-based controller work?
The question that arises is: does this solution truly work? Available information suggests that the BioHybrid controller is indeed functional, although it lacks the capabilities comparable to the DualSense Edge. Below, you can view a video illustrating the device's manufacturing process and its operation.
Its flexibility permits deformation of the entire device, which may potentially result in internal component damage. Nonetheless, the BioHybrid Device project aims not to directly compete with leading manufacturers, but rather to explore the boundary between 'living and non-living systems'.
