Abstract
Mycelium-based composites (MBC) are valued for their ability to convert low-value organic materials into sustainable building resources, making them a promising solution for decarbonizing the construction sector [1-5]. MBC performance is influencing by various factors including mycelium species, substrate composition, growth conditions, and post-processing techniques [1,6]. Conventional fabrication methods involve combining grain spawn with loose organic material to achieve specific functional properties, such as strength, acoustic absorption, or thermal insulation [7,8]. Recent advancements have increasingly focused on digital biofabrication methods to enhance growth, improve material properties, and shape mycelium materials with a primary focus on additive manufacturing (AM) [9-14]. This approach integrates lignocellulosic substrates with fungal inoculation to create complex composite structures. Most experiments use an extrudable paste to construct scaffolds, with studies investigating the effects of inoculating the paste either before or after fabrication [15-20]. Liquid spawn, however, holds significant potential, particularly in AM, due to its ease of deposition and greater precision compared to grain spawn.
Combining liquid spawn and AM has the potential to control localized growth within MBC, enabling more precise material customization. I propose a new digital biofabrication framework that consists of three key components: (1) computational design, which analyzes material functionalities and generates robotic actions; (2) robotic fabrication, which executes inoculation and time-dependent actions; and (3) biological material selection, encompassing mycelium species and substrate composition.