“Mush-room” for data: Parsons grad Pillarisetti makes 8 gig hard drive out mycelium

In New York, an industrial designer and researcher affiliated with Parsons School of Design has created an 8-gigabyte hard drive out of mushrooms.

“Soft Drive,” created by Sree Krishna Pillarisetti, is a portable drive with a case made of mycelium, hemp, and the bioplastic polylactic acid. This see-through case protects a memory card and heat sink.

“Consumer electronics have spent decades trying to disappear, to become these frictionless black mirrors we barely notice,” according to a write-up in design publication Yanko Design. “The Soft Drive does the opposite. It foregrounds its materials, makes you aware you’re holding something that grew, that came from a living process.