Biobased Material Computation and Digital Fabrication for Bacterial Cellulose-Based Biofabrics

Abstract

The collaboration with biological organisms, biomaterial computation, and digital fabrication offers new possibilities for reconsidering the relationship between human and non-human living forms. These organisms allow for the creation of materials, design and manufacturing processes, and end products to become more closely aligned with natural systems and processes, as they are derived from renewable resources and have a lower environmental impact than synthetic materials. In this research, by focusing on nature and non-human living organisms, biobased material computation and digital fabrication were explored to develop biofabrics. This research offers a fully biodegradable process with zero waste and unlimited supply, enhanced with the resources provided by nature, including nature's design and manufacturing methods. To create this sustainable, circular cycle, one of the most abundant materials in the world, the purest form of cellulose, is produced by bacteria such as Acetobacter Xylinus (A. xylinus). In collaboration with A. xylinus, bacterial cellulose-based biofabrics were grown and harvested. The methodology was divided into four main stages: Digital fabrication of a customized fashion dummy which involves 3D modeling, laser-cutting, and assembly of a fashion dummy; a stochastic scaffold design for the bacterial cellulose biofilm layer; biobased material formulation for developing a biofabric; and bio-assembly. The outcome has been exhibited at Good Design Izmir 7, a national curated exhibition among the invited guests' section, and had a chance to meet a larger audience to raise awareness. As a result, it was seen that incorporating biobased materials into the digital fabrication process has the potential to not only improve the performance and sustainability of materials but also to encourage designers to reconsider the relationship between humans and ecology. Future studies can include the scalability of such systems for broader design realms, such as biobased architectural solutions for buildings, especially lightweight structures, as well as industrial design products such as packaging.