MYKOS
The Acoustics Team
Overview
Project Summary & Research Focus
Kavya Shankar is testing mycelium’s porous nature and biodegradability for developing eco-friendly alternatives to conventional sound-absorbing foam. She is developing prototypes of mycelium-based acoustic panels
designed to compete with existing commercial products. She also became our trained brick presser at the UCD Engineering Student Design Center, as she was the only engineering student in our class.
Our Goals
Develop sustainable alternatives to sound-absorbing foam.
01
Test the material properties of mycelium, such as its porosity and biodegradability.
02
Develop several prototypes of mycelium-based acoustic panels that can compete with products already on the market.
03
Her Conclusions
Pressing bricks is really fun. It took lots of work. It's great to see the bricks when they are baked and finished.
Some of my substrates for the acoustic panels molded and I had to restart them. Although it is late in the quarter, they are growing now pretty well after increasing the airflow by uncovering them in the growth chamber.
My hope is to use the same substrate that I'm using in the molds to 3D print a different panel design. By blending the substrate with a Cuisinart, and working with Sam to learn the right consistency, I hope to 3D print later this week.
Although we are at a comprehensive university, it's hard to figure out who can help us do the acoustic tests to get the data from our materials. One professor told me to send the samples to a company in Michigan and pay them to test them. These types of challenges slow the progress of biodesign research.
Our Research Team
Kavya Shankar
2nd year, Biomedical Engineering
Designed and grew biomaterials for acoustic wall panels, made by mold