Fungal biohybrid substrates for resilient sensing and embodied anomaly detection
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Modern infrastructure and environmental systems increasingly operate under disruption, uncertainty, and partial failure. This manuscript explores the living fungal mycelium as a biohybrid substrate for resilient sensing and embodied anomaly detection. Rather than framing fungi as conventional security devices, we position them as distributed adaptive materials that integrate sensing, signalling, structural response, and persistence within a single living network. We synthesise electrophysiological, materials-science, and unconventional computation perspectives to articulate how fungal systems support graceful degradation, baseline formation, and long-duration monitoring. We propose explicit, falsifiable hypotheses regarding disturbance detection, persistence under damage, and embodied memory, and outline a lean experimental roadmap for laboratory validation. Fungal biohybrid substrates do not replace digital systems; they complement them by failing differently, operating with minimal energy, and embedding sensing directly within material structure.
Source: Biosystems
Author: Andrew Adamatzky
Institution: University of the West of England
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,870
Award: G54632728
OpenAlex ID: W7131246201