Innovative gaming: Controller merges tech with biology
Despite lacking programmable buttons, advanced haptic features, or sophisticated triggers, the BioHybrid Device controller stands out as a unique solution – it is crafted from biological materials such as bacteria and yeast.
Scientists continually astonish us with their unconventional ideas, pushing the boundaries of traditional technology and paving the way for extraordinary possibilities. One of these projects is a gaming controller called the BioHybrid Device, created using bacteria and yeast symbiotic cultures.
This device redefines how we perceive technological interfaces and encourages us to consider their integration with the natural environment. The innovative approach of the BioHybrid Device's creators signifies a new direction in electronics design, where the lines between technology and biology become increasingly blurred.
Controller from bacterial and yeast cultures
The uniqueness of this controller lies in the fact that, rather than being assembled traditionally, 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. In this sense, you could say that this controller grows.
Design descriptions reveal that the controller shapes itself through the natural growth and spread of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), integrating conductive elements, sensors, and output components into their structures. Vivien Roussel, Madalina Nicolae, and Marc Teyssier are responsible for executing this project.
Does the bacteria-based controller work?
The question that arises is whether this solution really works. Available information indicates that the BioHybrid controller is functional, although it lacks capabilities comparable to the DualSense Edge. Below you can watch a video showcasing the device's manufacturing process and its operation.
Its flexibility allows for the entire device's deformation, which may lead to internal component damage. Nonetheless, the goal of the BioHybrid Device project is not to directly compete with leading manufacturers but to explore the boundary between 'living and non-living systems'.
