>>39075 >It is not cheap You have to make it yourself. Look at Robert Murray-Smith's videos. Also the the picture you posted is graphene oxide. A different thing altogether.

So I am currently investigating mycomaterials. I doubt these will be immediately useful but I do want to brag because as far as I know I'm the first person to produce aerial mycelium of this quantity in a home setting. I basically just followed a recipe done by a Cambridge researcher and placed a pair of jeans I sterilized using a pressure cooker over the substrate. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/research-directions-biotechnology-design/article/growing-mycelium-leather-a-paste-substrate-approach-with-posttreatments/8B0BAD4C1481BDE26583408B4FAA9D13 Currently I am processing it into leather.

>>39730 Congrats, Ribose! I think good uses can be found for this material. I am currently needing a new leather belt. I wonder if this stuff is tough enough to serve in such a capacity? Regardless, GG Anon. Please keep us all up to date with your progress with this research. Cheers! :^)

>>39738 I think it could if you produced enough of it. I was worried that I didn't press it down hard enough and baked my mycelium too long but after examining it in the glycerol, citric acid, magnesium sulfate bath I might actually have enough to play around with a bit. In the future I will use a proper heat press instead of two cookie sheets and my fat ass.

>>39743 Neat! I wonder what the tradeoffs would be for manufacturing such substances as you have here, or simply purchasing them. I'm thinking of robowaifu needs (materials, shell materials, clothing, etc.)

>>39730 >>39738 >>39749 What are the material properties of this material, including once processed to leather? Can it be washed? What are the advantages and disadvantages compared to regular synthetic leather. Could it make good synthetic skin?

>>39751 The paper has the properties listed for various treatments. This is a first attempt and I just removed it from the plasticizer bath and placed it in nutan so I will have something to show tomorrow or the day after. According to the paper their mycelium leather was comparable to process leather in strength. It can be washed but it requires a gentle brush and soap. No detergents. I don't have a good answer for you on skin yet. As of now probably not, but that is part of what this investigation will be looking at. Current disadvantage of mycelium leather over real leather is that it does not last as long but the major advantage is that it can be grown in a homesetting and there is a lot you can do to change the physical and chemical properties of the material. I might make a dedicated thread for this when I repeat these results and have something worth showing. Very much in the learning phase right now. As I said I haven't seen anyone else get to the aerial mycelium step so I am in uncharted territory.

>>39751 And I would also like to point out that the material properties will depend on the species of mushroom used, the plasticizers, the crosslinking agents, additives, fillers, ect.

So most of my mycelium leather was lost do to poor harvesting and processing, but I have some actual leather to show. It is leather like, but a little soft. A long ways to go, but definitely a starting point. I am running an additional experiment where I am weatherproofing it with linseed oil and pine tar.

Interesting video about so-called Invisible Mending. Not too sure how useful it might be to us here -- but perhaps. Seems a meticulous (tedious even), hand-done technique for sewing in patches to expensive suits. I'm pretty sure this is a pricey, almost-artisan-tier approach that would be expensive to purchase from this woman. Regardless, the end result is quite impressive. https://trashchan.xyz/comfy/thread/623.html#14333

>>39868 Neat! I'm intredasted to hear how this further goes as you apply your learning to the process, Anon. Cheers.

>>39941 I'm currently trying to reformulate without using whole wheat flour. I am using a microwave for sterilization and there are spores in the flour that would be difficult to kill off even with a proper autoclave. The current expirement with woodflour is failing, I will call it on the weekend, but it looks like I will need to add water and something to help it retain water.

>>39953 Was the flour enriched? >but it looks like I will need to add water and something to help it retain water. How about cornstarch powder?

>>39954 >Was the flour enriched? No, although that may lighten foreign contamination. Still I like the idea of using a waste product like sawdust. >How about cornstarch powder? I was thinking coir. Again it is a waste product and the manufacturing process reduces microbial contamination.

>>39953 Good luck, Anon. Please keep us here posted with your progress. Cheers. :^)

>>39963 Had some success with one of the pieces of mycelium leather. It got stronger with the pine tar and linseed oil. Running a weather proof test right now. Sorry I have been inactive. I had some IRL stuff come up and a couple of health scares. Should start making progress again by the end of next week. Again sorry for delays.

>>40195 >>40199 >and a couple of health scares. Oh no! Please take good care of yourself, Ribose. We all rely on your inputs here. --- Glad to hear about the progress with the mycelium leather! It must feel good to make progress with such a goal. Cheers, Anon. :^)

>>40229 >about the same mechanical properties as balsa wood That's really neat. I've actually done some design research using Balsa. It's great stuff to keep thrown mass low in the extremities.

For the skin you can just lay a piece of spandex flat on a wooden panel and pour the silicone rubber. afterwards you mend it like fabric. Theres also the option of just slicing a sex doll. Youll want to use a hot wire tool or is what id use instead of a scapel. The sex doll already has a skeleton.

>>40340 >For the skin you can just lay a piece of spandex flat on a wooden panel and pour the silicone rubber. This seems a good idea, AFAICT. How do you cure it so its a) not sticky afterwards, and b) workable just like fabric afterwards?

>>40361 You could add something like sawdust or sand to the mixture to help it cure.

One of the easiest ways to cover up a robot would be a foam shell covered in a jumpsuit like Handmade Doll did. Much easier than silcone: no need to pour, easy to clean, repair and replace. If you're especially fancy you could probably airbrush texture onto the cloth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWEWhxX5x9I

>>40361 Just let if dry should work. Make sure to also use releasing agent.

>>40366 Thanks, Anon.

>>40364 I wonder if you could also use mycelium mixed in and place it around a carbon fiber cloth and have it act as a synthetic nervous system.

>>40364 I wonder how hard/expensive it would be to obtain something superfine to mix in -- so fine it wouldn't feel abrasive, but silky smooth. But still durable, unlike say, cornstarch. Also, would there be any health risks associated with such use? >>40374 Really interesting idea, Anon.

>>40365 Great idea Anon. It's been my intent to use a full-body, zippered, jumpsuit for years now. I'm still thinking of 'skin' for the face/hands/etc. in addition however.

This is how I made mushroom spawn. I took the base of the mushroom and sandwiched it in between pasteurized cardboard and placed it all I'm a Tupperware container with holes in the lid.

If youre thinking of ecoflex well then yes thsts prohibetly expensive but if you get say 10 kg from alibaba then itd be like $100 something including shipping which is nothing.

>>40399 How much sawdust/sand could you add and still keep the desired final mechanical properties? Could you add them to cheaper material to get the desired properties?

>>40405 Theres also tin cured silicone rubber but i havent looked much into it. I also came up with a receipe fir hardware silicon caulk. Thin the silicon with acetone snd then add a spoonful of silicon oil. However youd still be better iff buying it from alibaba maybe. Btw the ill be just making typos cause correcting on the iphone sucks. https://youtu.be/xoFGHcsb1_Q

>>40412 Well i suppose there is also the option of buying silicon caulk in bulk. Theres also windshield motors at the junkyard that amight even be geared if you're a stingy thirdie. I say thst cause none of this stuff is expensive even for a thirdie.

What are some bioproof materials that mycelium can grow on without being eaten?

>>41610 I'd expect that @Ribose would have more insights on that question than anyone else on this board would? He's probably an up-and-coming researcher in this exact field, Anon. Good luck & cheers! :^)

>>41612 I'm the one asking and I'm currently working with metal mesh and carbon fiber for anyone curious, but I need more ideas.

>>41617 Oh, haha. :D Hmm... how about glass fibre mats? The stuff is commonplace, and it doesn't seem like mycelium is likely to degrade glass to my (admittedly, untrained) thinking. Also what about fiberglass batts? <---> While you're at it: you're the researcher...why not set up an "assembly line" of test materials in your lab, Ribose? Good luck, Anon! Cheers. :^)

How does TPE hold up to mildew. If it doesn't do well maybe mycelium could grow in it.

>>41624 I'm doing some experiments with sand. I will let you know how that goes.

>>41650 Intredasting! Looking forward to it, Anon. Cheers. :^)

Mycelium "skin" research using saprophytic fungus Ganoderma Lucidum. Includes some smol power generation capabilities (which could be used for sensing). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add7118

>>42199 Try growing your own spawn.

>>42223 Heh, just pointing it out for the group (primarily yourself & your cadre). I personally haven't the time & resources to invest in direct bio research. I plan to do things """the old-fashioned (ie, the high-tech) way!""" :D

My company has started using AI tools for generating new materials. I find if you tell the AI to act as a chemical/biological engineer it usually has pretty good suggestions.

If someone has experience with predictive AI and needs a job feel free to drop a contact.

>>42262 Hello, Anon. Welcome. We like to keep threads on-topic here. I'd suggest your post is better located in our /meta thread ( >>41241 ), or even our Embassy thread ( >>2823 )) -- rather than our Materials Science thread. Cheers.

>>42263 It was a material science job

>>42265 Oh, haha! If you wouldn't be taken for a potential spammer/exploiter I'd recommend you keep your handle on when making such posts, Ribose. Cheers, Anon. :^)

Some incredible DIY plastics. My favorite is the rubber like plastic made of 100ml water 25g Alginate 4g Calcium Carbonate 10g GDL This likely needs glycol and other additives to be strong enough to be useful for us but, it's kino. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J87Qyxzm_fQ

>>42360 Lol. This is very cool, Kiwi! :D I wonder if we can dramatically improve the durability of these by some means?

I had a feeling someone would post his new video sooner or later. I like NightHawkInLight, but so much of what he does it about radiative cooling, which is the opposite of what I want to do 90% of the time.