April 8, 2019

Nendo’s Mobile Battery Recaptures Power at a Moment’s Notice

Denqul by Nendo for Sugita Ace. Photography by Akihiro Yoshido.

Disasters take away things you take for granted—electricity, for example. Nendo founder Oki Sato devised a way to recapture power at a moment’s notice, even in the midst of an evacuation. Denqul is an emergency mobile battery he designed for Sugita Ace, a Japanese hardware and building-supply source. Cleverly disguised as a desktop organizer, the compact ABS resin dock continuously charges the cylindrical battery.

> Check out all 20 Big Ideas from the March 2019 issue

But if catastrophe strikes, the juiced-up component can be quickly removed and carried with you. When the battery’s power is depleted after four hours, the user simply extends the top, doubling the length of the device, and bends it into an L shape. They then rotate the angled section with one hand to gen­erate battery-charging power through centrifugal force, an effect Sato maximized by positioning the lithium battery on top. “This allows its weight to be utilized,” he explains. After 10 minutes of spinning, the battery is ready to charge again.

“We turned what’s normally a disadvantage into an advantage.”

Denqul by Nendo for Sugita Ace. Photography by Akihiro Yoshido.

Denqul by Nendo for Sugita Ace. Photography by Akihiro Yoshido.

Denqul by Nendo for Sugita Ace. Photography by Akihiro Yoshido.

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