Mushrooms create music with bionic arms using their own energy

Mushrooms have found a new stage. In a creative mash-up of biology, electronics, and performance art, a UK-based project is using robotic arms to let fungi and plants play instruments, turning tiny electrical pulses into audible music and visual performance.

By reading the bioelectrical activity inside living organisms and converting those signals into precise arm movements, these nonhuman collaborators can strike drum pads, press synth keys, and even swap sticks for paintbrushes—offering a fresh way to experience the hidden rhythms of nature.

How bioelectrical signals become music

At the core of the project is a simple idea: living tissues produce electrical patterns. With sensors attached, those patterns can be translated into commands for robotic actuators. The result is a direct line from a mushroom’s internal fluctuations to a physical action that produces sound.

From pulse to performance

• Sensors monitor voltage changes in plant and fungal tissues.
• Signal mapping converts those readings into movement instructions—timing, pressure, and sequence.
• Bionic arms perform the motions on instruments: keys, pads, sticks, and brushes.

The tonal output is shaped by a human collaborator who maps the electrical input to synth patches and drum machines, creating an electronic soundscape that reflects the living partner’s internal state. The music isn’t just an experiment in novelty—it reveals how rich and varied those electrical signatures can be.

The people behind the project and their roles

This collaboration between technologists and artists reframes how we think about nonhuman creativity. Two principal figures steer the work: one handles sound design and synthesis, while the other develops the biological-to-robotic interfaces.

• Sound and synthesis: Responsible for turning translated signals into musical tones, textures, and rhythms that form the audible backbone of each performance.
• Biotech and interface design: Focuses on reading bioelectrical data, building the bionic manipulators, and crafting the live setup that lets plants and fungi interact with instruments.

The team emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach—blending sculpture, electronics, performance, and ecological thinking to spotlight the intelligence and expressiveness of organisms we normally regard as silent.

Experiments that expand beyond traditional music

What began as a project to make mushrooms “play” instruments soon branched into other creative territories. The group’s work demonstrates that bioelectrical patterns can be mapped not just to notes, but to words and images.

• Spoken-word translation: Individual electrical events are assigned to words and delivered through text-to-speech systems, letting fungi “speak.”
• Painting by mushroom: Bionic arms replace drumsticks with brushes so the living subject can create visual art directly.
• Live audiovisual shows: Neon lighting and synth textures amplify the theatrical aspect, turning internal metabolism into a stage performance.

What species and instruments are featured

The project works with a variety of plant and fungal specimens; one featured example belongs to the Leccinum genus. Under neon lighting and electronic processing, even a common bolete takes on a striking personality as it triggers synth lines and percussive hits.

In performance, the setup commonly includes:

• Analog and digital synths
• Drum machines and pad controllers
• Robotic arms capable of delicate and forceful gestures
• Speech synthesis apps for word-mapping experiments

Why this matters: art, science, and new perspectives on nature

Beyond spectacle, the work invites a rethink of creative agency and the limits of communication. By translating biological activity into human-readable forms—sound, speech, and image—the project points to a future where the inner lives of other species can be explored, interpreted, and appreciated in novel ways.

These performances don’t claim that mushrooms share human intentions; instead, they create a shared language that lets us hear the rhythms and variability of living systems.

See and hear the performances

Several live recordings and clips show the bionic arms in action—mushrooms pressing keys, tapping pads, and making marks on canvas. The visual presentation often emphasizes glowing colors and tactile movement, matching the otherworldly quality of the sound.

• Video demonstrations of robotic arms playing synths and drum machines
• Examples of mushrooms “speaking” through mapped electrical signals
• Footage of brushes and paint applied by bionic manipulators controlled by fungi

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Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is an experienced journalist covering U.S. and global news. With ten years on the front lines, he breaks down political and economic stories that matter. His precise writing and keen attention to detail help you grasp the real‑world impact of every event.