You’ve probably seen those architectural feats that turned tiny apartments into transformable spaces, essentially fitting a living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen in the very same space. Instead of going the architectural route, the Ori Robotic Furniture does the same thing using transformable furniture pieces, so you can just pick up the darn thing and install it in the middle of your tiny city flat.
Originally developed out of MIT’s Media Lab, it consists of large cabinet-like modules that integrate multiple furniture items within it. The cabinet, basically, acts as a divider, separating a space into two, all while coming with retractable facilities on either side for equipping the space with couches, writing tables, media cabinets, beds, walk-in closets, and more.
Unlike typical transforming furniture, Ori’s integrated electronics allow it to not just deploy and retract various elements, but to physically move the cabinet itself to make more room. As such, it can be programmed to push the bedroom area against the wall during daytime to maximize living room space while moving away from the wall to make room for the bed at night. It comes with a control panel right on the cabinet where you can launch pre-programmed actions, along with an accompanying app for adding new programming. That’s right, you can, basically, make it move any way you want, so you can easily experiment with various configurations to find your ideal settings for each space.
Ori’s initial launch comes with seven variations of cabinet modules, each one transforming into different things, so folks can find exactly what their space needs. Three of them integrate full-size beds, another three integrate queen-size beds, and the last one comes with no bed, since it appears to be meant to serve more as a storage and divider module.
No pricing has been announced, but Ori is preparing for launch soon.