In order to enable buildings to function like "large living organisms", scientists at the University of the West of England have recently developed an "intelligent brick" that can use microorganisms to recycle wastewater, generate electricity and oxygen. Researchers have incorporated microbial fuel cells into these 'smart bricks'. In the past, researchers have demonstrated that microbial fuel cells can generate electricity from urine, insect carcasses, and grass debris.

Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos from the Robotics Laboratory at the University of the West of England said, "Microbial fuel cells are energy converters that use microbial metabolic activity to decompose organic waste and generate electricity. Making microbial fuel modules into building bricks as part of walls is a novel application. This will allow us to explore how to handle household waste, generate useful electricity, and create 'active programmable' walls in our living environment

Researchers say that these 'smart bricks' can also perceive both the internal and external environment of buildings simultaneously. These walls equipped with bioreactors can absorb sewage, carbon dioxide, sunlight, algae, bacteria, and nutrients, and in turn convert them into clean water sources, oxygen, electricity, heat, biodegradable detergents, biomass energy, etc., but all of these depend on how they are "programmed".