A Reaction-Diffusion Cellular Automata Model for Mycelium-based Engineered Living Materials Evolution

Engineered living materials (ELMs) and, more specifically, mycelium-based ELMs have been proposed as a solution to address the escalating societal pressures related to human-induced environmental disruption, scarcity of resources, and the anticipated increase in material demand. However, due to the complex biological mechanisms they emulate, their environmental sensitivity, the slow supply chain and regulations, these devices present significant challenges for reproduction. Consequently, modeling the phenomena underlying such devices becomes critically important. In this context, we introduce a comprehensive mycelium-based ELM framework that incorporates reaction-diffusion processes and the modeling tool of Cellular Automata (CAs). This framework successfully simulates the ELM’s unpredictable growth mechanisms and closely resembles the mycelium’s biological structure, through the exploitation of the reaction-diffusion activator-inhibitor system. Finally, an augmented 3D version is presented that enhances the realism of our findings and strives to provide a deeper understanding of such materials.