A modular material system for biofabricated orthopedic wearables with fungal textiles

Abstract

This demonstration presents prototypes of a modular biofabricated orthopedic wearable system and material samples made from textile-like fungal materials that integrate localized padding, flexibility and support within a single continuous structure. The exhibit features hand–wrist orthopedic garment concepts alongside material samples that illustrate how fabrication strategies, processing conditions and patterning techniques can be tuned to create configurable zones of support, malleability and cushioning within one unified textile system. The modular approach allows the same material system to be arranged differently across garments depending on coverage and support needs, showing how a single fabrication logic can generate multiple assistive possibilities. Visitors engage visually with the materials to understand the development and tinkering process and explore how the interplay among the different system parameters engender different design outcomes. By highlighting the supportive and expressive properties of fungal textiles, the demo communicates their potential as customizable, regenerative alternatives in orthopedic applications. It illustrates how biofabrication can support human wellbeing while advancing sustainable material lifecycles, providing practical and experiential insights for designers, researchers and practitioners in biodesign and wearable technologies.