A Finnish company has set out to combat plastic waste production. Their goal is unusual: headphones made from biodegradable materials and bio-plastics.
What kind of headphones are these? The company Aivan from Finland recently presented the concept headphone “Korvaa”. The headphone is intended to consist of various materials such as:
- artificial spider silk
- bioplastics
- proteins produced by fungi
The idea behind the headphones is to combat the increasing amount of plastic waste in the world. Headphones of all kinds seem to be becoming an ever-greater problem, especially due to the growing demand for mobile devices, which could represent the future of gaming.
Korvaa – The Headphones of the Future?
How does it work? The parts are not simply built from fungi, but it seems they are more or less cultivated. The headband is 3D printed from bioplastics. The material for printing is obtained from yeast.
The shells are made of cellulose and hydrophin. Hydrophin is a type of foam produced by certain fungi. This is covered by a mycelium that is supposed to feel like leather on the ears.
The material that later covers the speakers is supposed to be made from artificial spider silk produced by microbes.
Functionally, the headphones are currently not usable yet. The electronics are missing. What Aivan has currently presented with Korvaa is just a prototype that is intended to demonstrate the practical utility of bio-plastics.
Does this have a practical use? Currently, it is difficult to predict whether and how useful bio-headphones will be. Questions about stability and, by nature of the product, durability are in the air.
However, the success of Korvaa could pave the way for further products. If headphones can be cultivated from fungi, then perhaps the step to gaming headsets (for example, for battle royale) may not be far off.
Sound is, after all, also important in gaming, both for ambiance and for competitive play to hear opponents. If Korvaa is successful, there will likely be a demand for gaming equipment as well.
When will the headphones be released? So far, no date for the release has been announced. However, the manufacturers needed according to PCWelt already half a year to even obtain the materials.
How long the production of a single headphone takes has not yet been communicated exactly. There is also no information about the release on the own product page of Korvaa.
Is this a joke? No. Korvaa is an attempt to practically apply bio-plastics and alternatives to plastic.
Would you game with bio-headphones?
