UK Designer Grows Clothes From Bacteria 93
An anonymous reader writes "Experimental UK designer Suzanne Lee 'grows' clothes from bacteria. She has developed a method for growing clothing from yeast, a pinch of bacteria, and several cups of sweetened green tea. From this microbial soup, fibers begin to sprout and propagate, eventually resulting in thin, wet sheets of bacterial cellulose that can be molded to a dress form. As the sheets dry out, overlapping edges 'felt' together to become fused seams. When all moisture has evaporated, the fibers develop a tight-knit, papyrus-like surface."
Re:carbon nanotubes. (Score:2, Interesting)
Kombucha Klothes! (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes!
Looks like Kombucha (Score:1, Interesting)
hmm, interesting implications (Score:4, Interesting)
What would be interesting is if the bacteria can become dormant instead of dying. Then if you get a rip or tear on the clothes you apply some nutrients to the rip and in 24 hours it regrows and fixes itself. Though i'm thinking that's quite a ways away, it would be really neat instead of throwing away clothes like we do now. That or clothes that can grow/shrink with you, or clothes that shed like skin always new.
Re:Sure you can wear it, but why would you want to (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, it's not clear from any of the website what the material's properties are like. Just because it's matted cellulose doesn't mean it necessarily has a stiff paper-like constitution.
Unfortunately the website isn't very helpful saying what the properties are now, and what they think they can get them to be.
(BTW, in countries with a hemp fiber industry that actually has gotten to the point of doing steam explosion and cottonization, hemp fabric and blends are not just an enviro-chic product. Much of the stuff sold here in the U.S. is behind the curve.)