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

Spoa, a series of mushroom-inspired energy devices

Meet Spoa, a series of conceptual mushroom-inspired devices that can convert wasted energy into reusable electricity to charge gadgets and appliances at home. The three modules collect the electromagnetic fields from around the house and store them in the devices so owners can reuse them to power up or charge their gadgets. Each of the concept devices has a specific role, named after a part of the fungal body.

It starts with the Cap Spoa, which is a small and portable device that sits flat against a surface and absorbs electromagnetic fields from below. The Slim Spoa is designed for tight spaces, like beside a fridge or behind a television, and it has a bigger surface to increase the range it absorbs. Then there’s the Stem Spoa, which extends an antenna when users press its top down. With this, they can broaden the range of wave detection for areas with particularly dense electromagnetic activity. After capturing these electromagnetic activities, the mushroom-inspired devices Spoa can charge and supply electricity to other devices as portable gadgets, too.

all images courtesy of Jungmin Park, Minhee Kim, and Yoonseo Ko

Portable gadgets that collect electromagnetic fields

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. The collected energy feeds directly into a small backup battery, enough to charge a smartphone or earbuds on the go. A companion app tracks how much energy each module has collected, shows users where in their home the strongest fields are, and helps them place each module for maximum effect. So far, the mushroom-inspired devices, Spoa, are a series of concept gadgets developed with Samsung Design Membership.

the three modules collect the electromagnetic fields from around the house

the gadgets store the captured energy into the devices so owners can reuse them

view of Cap Spoa, which can be used for personal devices

view of Slim Spoa, which can be attached to appliances such as fridge

view of Stem Spoa, which is used for broader range

the devices are portable and can be hung around the belt loop

users can also attach the gadgets to their backpacks

project info:

name: Spoa

design: Jungmin Park, Minhee Kim, and Yoonseo Ko | @mni.eee