How can we design relationships between the most primitive and sophisticated life forms? Can we design wearables embedded with synthetic microorganisms that can enhance and augment biological functionality? Meet Mushtari, a 3D-printed wearable designed as a 58 meter long microbial factory that uses synthetic biology to convert sunlight into useful products for humans and microbes.
Directed by architect and designer Neri Oxman, Living Mushtari was completed by the Mediated Matter group in collaboration with
Stratasys, as a part of the Wanderers collection. Will Patrick of Mediated Matter was the lead researcher on the project. Additional collaborators include Christoph Bader and Dominik Kolb; Prof. Pamela Silver and Stephanie Hays of Harvard Medical School; and Dr. James Weaver of the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Mediated Matter researchers included: Will Patrick, Steven Keating, and Sunanda Sharma.
