News
MFC workshop at Open Hardware Summit, Berlin
Mi-Hy is joining this year's Open Hardware Summit with a microbial fuel cell building tutorial. Taking place in Technische Universität Berlin on the weekend of May 23-24th, the summit has a busy schedule of 17 talks on Saturday and 19 workshops...
MFCs at TGM: Exploring Sustainable Energy Through Biotechnology
As part of a collaborative workshop with the Department of Biomedical and Health Engineering at TGM (a technical high school) in Vienna, Biofaction brought innovative bioenergy technologies directly into the classroom. The focus of the workshop was...
A modular microbial–hydroponic system for circular urban plant cultivation
Cities produce tons of waste. But what if some of it could grow food, recover nutrients, and sustain living microbial ecosystems all at once? Our latest paper explores exactly that: a modular microbial–hydroponic system designed for circular urban...
Open call: MudTronics microbial fuel cell championship
Mi-Hy is launching MudTronics, a collaborative competition at the intersection of biology, technology, and art/design. Participants explore how microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can convert organic matter such as mud or wastewater into electrical energy,...
Where design meets biology: an interview on SPIKA, a prototype for microbe-mediated architecture
Recently, researchers Ezgi Öğün Ramalhete, Işıl Yücel, and Jorge Barriuso were interviewed for a Q&A article in Nature Communications Biology about SPIKA, our prototype for microbe-mediated architecture, exhibited at the 23rd Milan Triennale 2025.
In the interview, they share what drew them to the project, the challenges of working at the intersection of microbiology, and design architecture, and what they learned from the public’s response.
Integrating electroactive microorganisms into active soil management strategies
Our partners at Sony CSL Paris, alongside Lenon Romano Modesto and Rachel Armstrong, recently published a review in Frontiers in Microbiology exploring how electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) could be integrated into agricultural soils as living, programmable components of regenerative farming systems.
NOGAN Task Force Uncovers Syndicate in “Impossible” Case: Was it Crime or the Future of Farming?
Following a mysterious, two-year surge of fresh fruits and vegetables on the black market, the NOGAN Task Force has unraveled a highly organised group of illegal growers. The suspects...
Online SPIKA Workshop at the Future Tech Week 2026, Jan 22
On January 22, an online workshop focusing on SPIKA will take place as part of Future Tech Week 2026. Running from January 19 to January 22, this series of webinars, workshops, panels, and networking sessions aims to unite Europe’s deep-tech...
Impact of oxygen availability on Escherichia coli metabolism to produce 2,3-butanediol from acetate
Our partners at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have recently published an exciting study exploring how acetate, a byproduct of CO2 capture and biomass pretreatment, can be used as a sustainable carbon source to produce 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO). With this research, they are finding ways to move away from food-based sugars and toward alternative feedstocks derived from industrial.