Terraforming Mars is no longer a future possibility but has become a current opportunity. The EMBYO project speculates about the possibility of terraformingMars using synthetic biology with the goal of creating a symbiotic relationship between humans and their new surroundings.
The EMBYO is a functional biofilm that transform itself into a habitable biological architecture once it lands on the surface of Mars. In 2050, the first EMBYO is sent from Earth, containing the necessary nutrients and microorganisms to create localized bubbles of life.
Once the EMBYO lands on the equatorial surface of mars, the microorganism transform nutrients into carbon dioxide to inflate the EMBYO aiding it to grow until it reaches a level of stasis. Then, the colony of cyanobacteria contained in the film starts photosynthesizing oxygen from the produced carbon dioxide. Finally, the bacteria cellulose strengthen the structure and binds the EMBYO to the Martian soil to hold the nutrients for further growth.
25 years later, manned missions to mars with the goal of setting up new communities can use the framework that has been laid out by the EMBYOs.
Bringing engineered BYOs, small cultures of modified microorganisms that can symbiotically interact with the EMBYO – providing the necessary resources for human habitation.
The BYOs can exist from cultures that provide food as modified spirulina, to bioluminescent bacteria that are assimilated into the EMBYO. Living symbiotically in this Autotropic Community.
Project with Aaron Koshny, Yuchen Zhou and Sandra Atakora
Having bubbles in your tubes can be a nightmare. Air bubbles in microfluid systems cause flaws in the liquid flow and can kill the nurtured cells in the lab on a chip. Air bubbles in medical instruments can be very dangerous if it is connected to your vein. And finally, air bubbles in spacecrafts engines can cause huge loss in the engine property and damage it.
For this research, I created an ultra-bubble repellent coating for tubing in microfluids, medical instruments and spacecraft engines inspired from the nanostructures and the chemical property of fish skin.
The work has been published in an academic research paper and patented.
This project was done under the supervision of assistant professor Yabu Hiroshi at Tohoku University.
Electronic tattoo and smart contact lenses are predicted to be the next generation of smart devices.
In this research, I created a transparent, flexible and stretchable electronic that work as an electronic tattoo and as electrodes in smart contact lenses. The work has been published in an academic research paper and patented.
This research was undergone under the supervision of assistant professor Yabu Hiroshi at the Tohoku University in collaboration with the Nishizawa research group.
