The Power of Mud

Paul Granjon & Michka Melo

Microbial Fuel Research

Researcher Paul Granjon  & Michka Melo

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Paul Granjon and Michka Melo are conducting research on the topic of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a renewable electricity production device in which electrogenic bacteria digest organic matter in an anaerobic environment.  Here is an update on their project to date.

Paul Granjon invited bio-engineer Michka Melo to experiment with microbial fuel cells as a potential source of power for robotic artworks. They experimented with microbial fuel cells made of mud. The bacteria in the mud generates a small amount of electricity that can be harvested and put to good use. Following a mini-residency in the FabLab, microbial fuel cells stable enough for powering a small robot intermittently were produced. Granjon built clay containers for the batteries, which were demonstrated in the Victoria and Albert during the Digital Design Weekend in September 2017. Granjon developed the concept further with Mudbots, a robotic installation featuring 11 robots carrying their own microbial fuel cell, pushing very slowly a mudball in front of them. Mudbots was commissioned by Azkuna Zentroa arts centre in Bilbao, Spain, and exhibited in the robotic art group show and the Things We Do” in the summer of 2018.

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Exhibited at:

Digital Design Weekend, V&A Museum London 2017
‘Things We Do’, Azkuna Zentroa Arts Centre, Bilbao, Spain 2018