Fungal systems for security and resilience

2026-02-11

AI Summary

This work proposes a novel bio-hybrid system leveraging living mycelial networks to address the limitations of conventional digital systems in maintaining security and resilience under extreme conditions—such as electromagnetic interference, physical damage, or degraded communications. By systematically mapping fungal attributes—including decentralized control, embodied memory, and autonomous self-repair—onto security and resilience applications, the approach establishes a new protective layer that integrates distributed biosensing, self-healing material properties, and low-observability anomaly detection. This paradigm offers a feasible and uniquely advantageous framework for enhancing long-term resilience, tamper resistance, and environmental monitoring in critical infrastructure operating in harsh or compromised environments.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Bio-inspired Learning
• Intelligent Robots: Multi-Robot Systems
• Multiagent Systems: Applications

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Sustainability and carbon-aware systems for Web, mobile, and WoT
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Modern security, infrastructure, and safety-critical systems increasingly operate in environments characterised by disruption, uncertainty, physical damage, and degraded communications. Conventional digital technologies -- centralised sensors, software-defined control, and energy-intensive monitoring -- often struggle under such conditions. We propose fungi, and in particular living mycelial networks, as a novel class of biohybride systems for security, resilience, and protection in extreme environments. We discuss how fungi can function as distributed sensing substrates, self-healing materials, and low-observability anomaly-detection layers. We map fungal properties -- such as decentralised control, embodied memory, and autonomous repair -- to applications in infrastructure protection, environmental monitoring, tamper evidence, and long-duration resilience.

Problem

• security
• resilience
• extreme environments
• fungal systems
• infrastructure protection

Innovation

• mycelial networks
• biohybrid systems
• distributed sensing
• self-healing materials
• resilience