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u/kkw9907

r/mycology r/3Dprinting r/Fungi r/northspore r/solarpunk r/marketplace r/funguylab r/DIYbio
[SELLING] a DIY bio-printer kit that grows custom patterns from light-guided fungal cultures
▲ 1 r/marketplace

[SELLING] a DIY bio-printer kit that grows custom patterns from light-guided fungal cultures

three tiers right now:

  • Maker, $179, full hardware kit + 2 culture packs, for people who want to build/mod it themselves
  • Studio, $289, more culture packs + pattern library + community support
  • Classroom, $1,299 for 6 units, for schools/workshops

more photos and details here: https://funguylab.com/

happy to answer questions about how the light containment works, what strains play nicely with it, or anything else. this community's been a big help in figuring out medium/strain stuff so wanted to share it back here:)

u/kkw9907 — 9 days ago
▲ 14 r/funguylab+1 crossposts

trained a model to predict how fungus grows under light. it was right.

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u/kkw9907 — 9 days ago
▲ 2 r/funguylab

👋 Welcome to r/funguylab - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

Hey everyone! I'm u/kkw9907, a founding moderator of r/funguylab. This is our new home for all things related to growing living art and machines at the intersection of biology, light, and AI — starting with Mycelian, a DIY bio-printer that uses light to guide fungal growth into custom patterns, and anything else weird and wonderful in the biodesign/maker space.

We're excited to have you join us!

What to Post

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about fungal growth experiments, light-reactive biology, DIY bio-printing, your own builds and troubleshooting, or just cool biodesign/bioart you've come across.

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

  1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
  2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
  3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
  4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/funguylab amazing.

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u/kkw9907 — 10 days ago
▲ 1.3k r/funguylab+5 crossposts

I built a DIY "Fungal Printer" that uses light to guide mycelium growth into custom patterns. Here is how it works!

Hey everyone!

Long-time lurker here. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of hardware and biology, so I wanted to share a fun DIY project I've been experimenting with in my kitchen lab.

This actually started as a research project of mine back in 2022. I was looking into how different microbial cultures react to environmental stimuli, and I became obsessed with the principle of light-inhibited growth—essentially using light to control mycelium development into precise visual patterns.

After a lot of tweaking since then (and way too many contaminated agar plates), I finally managed to turn that concept into a compact, functional setup!

How it works: Instead of using mechanical nozzles like a standard 3D printer, it uses light as an invisible, non-invasive barrier. Since certain fungal strains are sensitive to light exposure, I can project specific light patterns onto the culture medium. It basically tells the mycelium, "Hey, don't grow in the bright areas, but feel free to spread over in the dark."

The current setup: To get the best contrast, I’ve been testing different combinations of dry-powder agar mixtures for quick activation, utilizing standard petri dishes and disposable inoculating loops. I also put together a modular frame to house the culture and hold the light source perfectly in place.

I’m just treating this as a fun bio-art and maker experiment right now, but I wanted to bring it to the real experts here to get your thoughts:

  1. For the experienced growers: Have you ever noticed light-inhibition happening accidentally in your setups? Which strains do you think would have the strongest visual contrast?
  2. What kind of cool geometric patterns or graphics would you try to grow if you had a setup like this?

Would love to hear your feedback or just nerd out about bio-art with you all! 🙌

u/LouSpore — 1 day ago