Spoa: Samsung’s Mushroom-Inspired Tech Harvests Wasted Energy

Our homes are filled with invisible energy – the standby power of electronics, the signals from Wi-Fi routers, and the glow of appliance clocks. Now, a new concept from Samsung Design Membership aims to capture this wasted electromagnetic energy and transform it into usable power, drawing inspiration from an unlikely source: mushrooms. Dubbed Spoa, these devices offer a glimpse into a future where living spaces become self-sustaining energy ecosystems.

How Spoa Works: A Trio of Fungal-Inspired Modules

The Spoa project, spearheaded by designers Jungmin Park, Yoonseo Ko, and Minhee Kim, isn’t about generating new energy, but rather about reclaiming what’s already there. Like mushrooms absorbing nutrients from their environment, Spoa devices are designed to collect and repurpose electromagnetic fields (EMF) that would otherwise dissipate unused. This approach addresses the growing concern of “phantom load,” which accounts for an estimated 5% to 10% of residential electricity globally, releasing roughly 44 million metric tonnes of CO2 annually [1].

Spoa consists of three distinct modules, each modeled after a part of a fungal body and designed for specific environments:

• Cap Spoa: A portable, flat device intended to absorb EMF from surfaces. [1]
• Slim Spoa: Optimized for tight spaces, like behind televisions or beside refrigerators, boasting a larger surface area to maximize absorption. [1], [2]
• Stem Spoa: Extends an antenna to broaden wave detection in areas with high electromagnetic activity. [1], [2]

From Waste to Power: The Spoa Ecosystem

These modules don’t just collect energy; they store it in little batteries for later use, potentially powering small devices like smartphones or earbuds. [1] The collected energy can be used as a portable power source. A companion app tracks energy collection, identifies EMF hotspots, and alerts users when modules are fully charged, providing insight into home energy patterns. [3]

The design team – Jungmin Park, Minhee Kim, and Yoonseo Ko – intentionally chose mushrooms as inspiration, noting their ability to absorb nutrients from their surroundings, break down existing materials, and return something useful to the ecosystem. [2] Spoa operates on this principle by collecting and repurposing already-wasted energy.

Looking Ahead

Spoa remains a conceptual project developed within Samsung Design Membership. Still, it highlights a promising approach to reducing energy waste and creating more sustainable living spaces. By mimicking nature’s efficient systems, Spoa offers a compelling vision for a future where wasted energy is no longer lost, but rather harvested and reused.