

The idea of a dystopian future like the plant-based apocalypse seen in the recent video game The Last of Us is just science fiction, right? There couldn’t possibly be anything, say in the wearable tech arena, that could cause something like that in real life, right? The world is full of cute bunnies and anthropomorphic slices of pizza, right? Wrong! The world is, as a very wise man once put it, a vampire. To that end, some folks invented a completely horrifying algae suit that makes everyone that wears it look like something out of a Lovecraft story. Oh, it also has a use. It’s supposed to feed us. So much for those happy pizza slices.

This algaculture symbiosis suit, as designersÂ Michael Burton and Michiko Nitta are calling it, only looks completely terrifying. It actually could prove quite useful. It harnesses the mysterious power of the human respiratory system to create a bed of edible algae. Who doesn’t love eating algae?! In all seriousness, the CO2 we expend after a taking a breath is used to feed and grow the algae. In turn it blossoms into an pseudo-edible treat perfect for long space voyagers or groups of masochists. The only downside? You have to wear the aforementioned harness that makes you look like a plant demon.

The suit debuted at a recent event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, in an opera no less. Who says a night at the opera can’t be a debilitatingly terrifying experience? As far as long term goals, the duo hopes to use this as a viable creator of algae for foods like sushi, ice cream and, oh, indomitable terror.