ORCID Number

0009-0003-9382-3013

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Access Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Committee Chair

Christopher Hockley

Committee Chair Email

hocklaf4@my.erau.edu

First Committee Member

Monica R. Garcia

First Committee Member Email

garcim85@erau.edu

Second Committee Member

Heidi M. Steinhauer

Second Committee Member Email

steinhah@my.erau.edu

College Dean

James W. Gregory

Abstract

Over the past decade, fungal research and its technological applications have expanded across multiple disciplines, including the emerging field of biohybrid systems. This thesis develops and evaluates a wireless, untethered mobile robot controlled by the action potential-like activity generated by Pleurotus ostreatus sporocarps under red, green, and blue optical stimulation. Light is applied to the sporocarps, the resulting electrical responses are recorded, and these signals are transmitted wirelessly to actuate the mobile robot. Both the action potential-like activity patterns and the robot’s movement trajectories were analyzed. The results demonstrate that wireless robotic control mediated by fungal electrophysiology is feasible. Overall, the findings expand current knowledge of fungal electrophysiological responses under visible‑light stimulation and illustrate the feasibility of incorporating these responses into mobile robotic control frameworks. The work contributes methodological tools, identifies key experimental considerations, and provides a basis for further development of fungal biohybrid systems.

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