In the series "Was it really necessary?", French researchers have designed a functional game controller whose casing is made from organic mass generated by the growth of bacteria and yeast.
The result, admittedly quite unappetizing, is reminiscent of the organic imagery in David Cronenberg's film Existenz (click on the Cinécult' David Cronenberg, les démons intérieures to find out more). However, there is an ecological will behind this devilry: "This project aims to question the status of objects as well as our current means of production, to change the perception of technological interfaces and devices and to study their integration into our environment," the researchers explain.
In other words, the plastic used in our electronic gadgets is rarely recycled and ends up polluting the environment (buried underground), while organic matter deteriorates more easily. Not to mention the production which does not require large polluting factories.
