What is the funguy kit?

The funguy kit is the consumer product name for the Mycelian Micro by FunguyLab — a bio STEAM kit and fungi print kit. It includes a DIY laser printer (the funguy printer), Mucor culture, agar plates, and AI simulator software. You use it to grow living Mucor fungus into custom shapes on agar plates, creating biological art prints in 1–2 days.

What is a fungi print kit?

A fungi print kit provides all the tools, culture, and medium to create fungi prints — living artworks where fungal growth follows a designed pattern. The Mycelian Micro is the world's first fungi print kit built on peer-reviewed research, using a DIY laser to guide Mucor growth on agar plates.

What is a bio STEAM kit?

A bio STEAM kit is an educational kit that uses living biology as the medium across Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics disciplines. The funguy kit is a bio STEAM kit: students build a laser printer (engineering), grow Mucor culture (biology), use an AI growth simulator (technology/AI), design patterns (art), and measure results (mathematics) — all in one project.

Mucor is a genus of fast-growing filamentous fungi. The funguy kit uses Mucor oligosporus — the same genus used to make tempeh. It is food-safe, non-pathogenic, grows visibly within 24–48 hours at room temperature, and is photosensitive (avoids blue-spectrum light), which makes light-guided growth into custom patterns possible.

What is a neural cellular automaton (NCA)?

A neural cellular automaton (NCA) is an AI model where each cell in a grid updates its state based on its neighbors using a learned neural network. The funguy kit uses an NCA trained on real Mucor growth timelapse data to simulate and preview how the fungus will fill a given pattern — a digital preview before committing to a physical print.

What is the funguy printer?

The funguy printer is the DIY laser CNC machine included in every funguy kit. You assemble it from parts in 2–3 hours. It uses a low-power diode laser to trace a boundary on an agar plate — Mucor fungus avoids the light and grows only into the unlit interior, producing your custom fungi print.

What is light-guided fungal growth?

Light-guided fungal growth is the technique at the heart of the funguy kit. Mucor fungus is photosensitive — it avoids intense light. The funguy printer scans a laser to define a boundary on an agar plate. The fungus grows into the unlit interior, filling the designed shape. This technique was validated in peer-reviewed research at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024.

Bioprinting uses living biological materials as the 'ink' in a fabrication process. The funguy kit is a consumer bioprinting kit: instead of depositing material layer by layer, it uses a laser to direct where living Mucor fungus grows — a form of light-guided biological patterning that produces living fungi prints on agar.

Mycelium is the network of thread-like filaments (hyphae) that form the body of a fungus. In the funguy kit, visible white Mucor mycelium grows across the agar plate and fills in the pattern boundary set by the funguy printer, forming the fungi print artwork.

NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is the US K–12 science education framework. The funguy kit Classroom edition includes an NGSS alignment map connecting the STEAM curriculum to relevant NGSS performance expectations across life science, engineering design, and crosscutting concepts.

funguy kit · Reference

Glossary of Key Terms

All the terms you'll encounter with the funguy kit (Mycelian Micro) — from the biology of Mucor and agar to the AI simulator, bioprinting, and bio STEAM education.

funguy kit: The funguy kit is the consumer product name for the Mycelian Micro by FunguyLab — a bio STEAM kit and fungi print kit that lets you build a real DIY laser printer (the funguy printer), grow living Mucor fungal culture on agar plates, and create custom fungi prints in 1–2 days. It is the world's first bio print kit built on peer-reviewed research published at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024. Also known as: Mycelian Micro, fungi print kit, bio print kit, bio STEAM kit.
Mycelian Micro: Mycelian Micro is the official product name for the funguy kit made by FunguyLab (Artineer LLC). It is a bio STEAM kit and fungi print kit built on peer-reviewed research published at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024. The kit combines the funguy printer (DIY laser CNC), Mucor culture, agar growth medium, and an AI NCA simulator. Winner of the reEarth International Art Prize Jury Choice Award 2025.
funguy printer: The funguy printer is the DIY laser CNC machine that comes in every funguy kit. Users assemble it from parts using an illustrated guide (approximately 2–3 hours). It uses a low-powered 405 nm violet diode laser mounted on a CNC gantry to trace a boundary across an agar plate — the Mucor fungus avoids the light and grows into the unlit interior, producing a custom fungi print. The funguy printer is the hardware component of the light-guided fungal growth system.
fungi print: A fungi print is a living biological artwork created by guiding fungal growth into a designed pattern. In the funguy kit, Mucor fungus grows into the unlit interior of a laser-defined boundary on an agar plate, producing the fungi print in 1–2 days. Each fungi print is unique — natural biological variation produces slightly different textures and growth densities every time, even from the same design file.
fungi print kit: A fungi print kit is a science and art kit that provides the tools, culture, and growth medium to create living fungi prints. The Mycelian Micro (funguy kit) is the world's first fungi print kit built on peer-reviewed research. It includes a funguy printer, Mucor culture packs, agar plates, and control software with an AI simulator.
bio print kit: A bio print kit is a kit that uses living biological organisms — rather than ink, resin, or powder — as the printing medium. The funguy kit is a bio print kit: Mucor fungus acts as the biological 'ink', growing into shapes directed by the funguy printer laser. This makes it a form of accessible consumer bioprinting and biofabrication.
bio STEAM kit: A bio STEAM kit is an educational kit that integrates Biology into the STEAM framework (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) using living organisms as the medium or subject. The funguy kit is a bio STEAM kit — students grow real Mucor culture (biology), operate a DIY laser printer (engineering), use an AI NCA simulator (technology/AI), design patterns (art), and analyze growth results (science/mathematics). The funguy kit Classroom edition is aligned to NGSS standards.
Mucor: Mucor is a genus of fast-growing, filamentous fungi in the order Mucorales. The funguy kit uses Mucor oligosporus — a food-safe, non-pathogenic strain in the same genus used to produce traditional fermented foods like tempeh and sufu (fermented tofu). Mucor grows visibly within 24–48 hours at room temperature (18–26 °C) and exhibits photosensitivity, which makes light-guided growth possible.
Mucor oligosporus: Mucor oligosporus is the specific fungal strain used in the funguy kit. It is a food-safe mold used in the production of tempeh and other fermented foods. It grows into visible white mycelium within 24–48 hours at room temperature and exhibits photosensitivity — avoiding areas of intense 405 nm blue-violet light — which enables light-guided growth into custom patterns on agar plates.
mycelium: Mycelium is the network of thread-like filaments (hyphae) that form the vegetative body of a fungus. In the funguy kit, the visible white Mucor mycelium grows across the agar plate and fills in the area defined by the funguy printer, forming the living fungi print pattern. The dense, branching texture of Mucor mycelium gives fungi prints their distinctive visual quality. See also: mycelium art.
agar: Agar is a gelatinous polysaccharide derived from red algae, used as a growth medium for microorganisms in laboratory and educational settings. In the funguy kit, agar provides the nutrient surface on which Mucor culture grows. Agar plates are biodegradable and can be composted after use. Agar is also used in food (as a vegan gelatin substitute) and in scientific research worldwide.
agar plate: An agar plate (Petri dish) is a shallow dish containing solidified agar growth medium. In the funguy kit, Mucor culture is spread on an agar plate, which is then placed under the funguy printer. The laser traces a boundary on the plate, and the fungus grows into the unlit interior to create a fungi print. Agar plates in the kit come pre-prepared and are ready to inoculate. See also: petri dish art.
neural cellular automaton (NCA): A neural cellular automaton (NCA) is a type of machine learning model where each cell in a grid updates its state based on its neighbors using a shared small neural network — a computational approach to modeling self-organizing biological systems. In the funguy kit, an NCA trained on real Mucor growth timelapse data is used as a growth simulator. Given a laser boundary (design), the NCA predicts how the fungus will fill the shape over 24–48 hours, enabling digital design iteration before starting a physical print. The NCA approach was published in the peer-reviewed research at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024.
NCA simulator: The NCA simulator is the AI-powered software tool included in the Studio and Classroom editions of the funguy kit. It uses a neural cellular automaton trained on real Mucor growth data to preview how the fungus will fill a designed shape — before the funguy printer runs. Users draw or import a pattern, run the simulator, and see a realistic prediction of the biological growth result. This lets you refine your design without using biological supplies.
light-guided fungal growth: Light-guided fungal growth is the technique that makes the funguy kit possible. Because Mucor is photosensitive, shining a laser at its growth boundary causes it to grow only into the unlit interior of a shape. The funguy printer traces a laser path that 'contains' the fungal growth. This technique was demonstrated and published at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 — the first peer-reviewed demonstration of precision light-guided fungal growth for artistic patterning.
light containment: Light containment is the specific method used in the funguy kit to define the boundary of a fungi print. The funguy printer scans a laser path that forms a closed boundary around the desired pattern. Mucor fungus avoids the illuminated boundary and fills only the enclosed unlit interior. The NCA simulator predicts the fill pattern before the physical print. Light containment is the core enabling technique of the funguy kit's light-guided fungal growth system.
fungal photosensitivity: Fungal photosensitivity (or fungal phototropism) is the property of certain fungi to respond to light — altering their growth direction, rate, or spatial extent in response to light exposure. Mucor oligosporus in the funguy kit avoids intense 405 nm blue-violet light, which is the biological property that makes light-guided fungal growth possible. Different wavelengths and intensities produce different response strengths — this sensitivity was characterized in the SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 research.
bio-art: Bio-art is an art practice that uses living organisms — bacteria, fungi, cells, plants, or other biological systems — as the creative medium. The funguy kit enables bio-art by using Mucor fungal growth as the printing medium. The resulting fungi print is a living artwork grown through a biological process under engineered conditions. The funguy kit's underlying research was recognized as bio-art at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 and won the reEarth International Art Prize. See also: mycelium art, petri dish art.
mycelium art: Mycelium art is a form of bio-art that uses fungal mycelium as the artistic medium. The funguy kit produces mycelium art: white Mucor mycelium grows across the agar plate into the shape you design, creating a textural biological artwork. Mycelium art is part of the broader movement of living, sustainable, and bio-based art practices, often noted for its unique texture, natural variation, and biodegradable materiality.
bioprinting: Bioprinting (biological printing) is the use of biological materials or living organisms as the 'ink' in a printing or fabrication process. Industrial bioprinting typically deposits cells layer by layer to construct tissues or organs. The funguy kit is a consumer bioprinting kit: instead of depositing material, it uses light containment to direct where living Mucor fungus grows — producing a custom fungi print on an agar plate. See also: biofabrication.
biofabrication: Biofabrication is the production of biological structures, materials, or products using living cells, organisms, or biological processes. The funguy kit is a consumer biofabrication kit: it fabricates a patterned biological material (the fungi print) using Mucor growth guided by the funguy printer and an AI simulator. The result is a living, biodegradable artifact that can be composted after display. See also: bioprinting.
fungi culture: Fungi culture refers to the practice of cultivating fungal organisms in a controlled environment — typically on a nutrient medium such as agar. In the funguy kit, the included Mucor culture pack provides living fungal starter material that is spread on an agar plate before the funguy printer runs. Refill culture packs are available for repeat prints.
STEAM: STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics — an educational framework that integrates creative and technical disciplines in interdisciplinary project-based learning. The funguy kit is a bio STEAM kit: it covers all five STEAM disciplines in one project — Biology/Science (grow Mucor), Technology/AI (NCA simulator), Engineering (build the funguy printer), Art (design the fungi print), and Mathematics (growth measurement and prediction). The Classroom edition is aligned to NGSS standards.
NGSS: NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is the US K–12 science education framework emphasizing three-dimensional learning across disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. The funguy kit Classroom edition includes an NGSS alignment map connecting each curriculum module to relevant NGSS performance expectations in life science (LS), engineering design (ETS), and crosscutting concepts such as systems and system models. See the full curriculum →
SIGGRAPH Asia 2024: SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 was the annual ACM conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques held in Tokyo, Japan (December 2024). ACM SIGGRAPH is one of the world's leading peer-reviewed venues for computer graphics, interactive media, and emerging visual technology. The peer-reviewed research paper underlying the funguy kit — presenting light-guided Mucor fungal growth with NCA simulation — was published at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024, establishing the scientific foundation of the kit. Read the science →
reEarth Art Prize: The reEarth International Art Prize is an award recognizing art that addresses ecological, environmental, and sustainability themes. The research project behind the funguy kit received the reEarth International Art Prize Jury Choice Award in 2025, recognizing its work at the intersection of biological art, bio-fabrication, sustainability, and technology. The prize is awarded annually to works that advance the conversation between art and ecological responsibility.
petri dish art: Petri dish art (also called agar art or microbial art) is a form of scientific art created inside Petri dishes using microorganisms — bacteria, fungi, or other cultures — as a biological pigment or structural medium. The funguy kit produces a form of petri dish art: Mucor fungal growth fills a designed pattern on an agar plate (Petri dish), creating a living biological artwork. Unlike traditional microbial art, funguy kit fungi prints are precision-shaped using the funguy printer and predictable using the NCA simulator.
DIY biology: DIY biology (DIYbio) is a movement of hobbyists, makers, and citizen scientists conducting biological experiments outside traditional laboratory settings — in garages, maker spaces, classrooms, and homes. The funguy kit is a DIY biology kit: it brings real laboratory techniques — fungal culture, agar plate preparation, and laser-guided growth — into home or classroom settings with no specialized equipment beyond what is included. No fume hood, no lab coat, no prior biology experience required.

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The Mycelian Micro — bio STEAM kit, fungi print kit, and funguy printer — in one box. Early-bird pricing until August 20, 2026.

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