Doom Meets E. Coli

Hey, Geeks!! Ever thought you'd see the day when the classic Doom where the classic DOOM line, "You are huge! That means you have huge guts!" would it inspire MIT biotech researcher to use E. coli bacteria to to create a display from...well... the gut bacteria? Well, brace yourselves because science is here to blur the lines between the living gut bacteria and the digital in a cool way. Remember, in the world of tech and retro gaming, there's always room for one more "you won't believe this" moment ..and here's one of them.


Lauren Ramlanto was inspired by The "Doom on Everything" movement, which refers to the enthusiastic community effort to port and run the classic video game Doom on various devices, often those not initially intended for gaming. For example, running Doom on calculators, ATMs, oscilloscopes, and even more unconventional "platforms" like electronic pregnancy tests or, in this case, bacteria. The movement showcases the game's adaptability and the creativity and technical skill of its fans, further cementing Doom's iconic status in gaming culture.

In this case, E. Coli bacteria aren't just microscopic organisms but the pixels of your favorite old-school shooter. Slow, yes. But It's not about the speed or HD graphics here; it's about the sheer 'wow' factor and the quirky charm of playing a video game on a biological canvas. In reality, it takes about 70 minutes to display one frame and an additional eight hours to reset. This means if you want to start from BFG to Boss, it will take 6 or 7 centuries to complete. (not sure how you would replace the E. Coli)



I'm not sure I'm going to run out and trade in my gaming rig for a petri dish -- but this is cool.

You can read the full report Bit Pixels Encoded in E. Coli for the Display of Interactive Digital Media here.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SFm1dS6myqq7psBKttP7CVYN4jO66lOp7ZMA829c_hc/edit

Or, if you like, check out the code here: https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1ZnWzeqKxjQSK2VTnfFzna0mFfseVMsZR?usp=sharing