Mycoustics

How fantastic would it be for our environment if electrical components with diverse acoustic properties could be manufactured from a single material? Imagine if this material could take on any shape and remain completely natural at both the beginning and end of its life cycle. In this workshop, you can discover such a material technology, which uses fungi as its key ingredient.

High-tech decomposes in nature

Mushrooms are healthy, mushrooms taste good! But can fungi also make music and influence sound? What sounds bizarre at first is the goal of the “Mycoustics” research project at the Fraunhofer IWU in Dresden. The project combines additive manufacturing and 3D printing methods with insights into the natural growth of fungal mycelium.

In this workshop, experience how a loudspeaker is created from fungi and print your own design from a wood paste enriched with mycelium. Fraunhofer researchers will provide insights into their current developments and present a groundbreaking circular concept for electrical products and loudspeakers with exceptional acoustic qualities.

The goal is to program the material properties and influence the natural growth of fungal mycelium to create a single component with sound-reflecting and sound-absorbing zones – entirely without tools and from a single sustainable material, realized through 3D paste printing.

These surfaces with their diverse acoustic properties are intended for future use in loudspeaker construction. Therefore, acousticians, representatives from the audio industry, and designers are especially invited to the workshop, particularly those who want to achieve unique sound experiences and sustainable, high-performance acoustics with their products and interior solutions in a circular way.

Please register for the free workshop. Space is limited: www.eventbrite.de

The workshop is part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhein Main (WDC) 2026 program: www.wdc2026.org

The “Mycoustics” research project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the DATIpilot funding program.