mushroom-inspired devices convert wasted energy into reusable power to charge gadgets

"It's intentional that the design team - comprising Jungmin Park, Minhee Kim, and Yoonseo Ko - chose mushrooms as the inspiration for the devices Spoa. It's because they absorb nutrients from the environment around them, breaking down what already exists, processing what others leave behind, and returning something useful to the ecosystem."

"Spoa works on this logic because it doesn't generate new energy. It collects energy that is already there, already being wasted, and gives it a second, useful life."

"Since the mushroom-inspired devices are portable and small enough, users can take Spoa almost anywhere: at home beside the router, in the kitchen near the fridge, on the subway, or at a café, sitting on the table while their laptop charges next to it."

Spoa is a series of three mushroom-inspired conceptual devices designed to capture ambient electromagnetic fields and convert them into usable electricity. The Cap Spoa is a portable flat device that absorbs electromagnetic fields from surfaces below. The Slim Spoa fits in tight spaces with an expanded surface area for increased range. The Stem Spoa features an extendable antenna for detecting electromagnetic activity in dense areas. The design mimics mushrooms' ecological role of absorbing and processing environmental resources. Rather than generating new energy, Spoa collects already-wasted electromagnetic energy and repurposes it. These portable devices can be placed throughout homes and public spaces to charge gadgets and appliances.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine