With the need for smaller more cost effective living spaces in mind, Ori Systems has developed a line of modular furniture that makes the most of the space that is becoming more and more of a premium. And, though not yet applied outside the residential market, the technology has clear applications for maximizing precious office space as well.

The Ori in Ori Systems comes from the Japanese word origami, which makes a lot of sense when you see the furniture as it transforms a room with just the push of a button. And in so doing it can quickly transform a small living space with a variety of possible configurations. See the video below.

As seen above, you can reconfigure the same compact space to function as a bedroom, home office or living room as needed.

The concept for the system, called architectural robotics, comes from the MIT Media Lab CityHome project, which was established to address the growing urbanization of the world by using technology to find innovative solutions.

This robotic technology runs on a modular and scalable mechatronics allowing the furniture to move with the push of a button (or the use of your smartphone.) The company’s app then does the rest, moving the furniture remotely as requested.

The Ori System is the brain and the brawn of this furniture system, as the company explains. The touch sensitive control panel, which is located on the furniture, uses motion sensors to detect your presence and automatically comes on by illuminating the interface icons and available configurations.

There are several configurations available to address the different needs of consumers. The Full System is able to transform to a full-scale bedroom, office, and living room. It also includes a closet and a full media console/credenza for the living room.

The Queen System converts the living room into a comfortable bedroom, a walk-in-closet, or an office, with a sliding queen size bed, couch and storage space.

As reported on Mashable, Ori Systems is only going to be available in Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C. starting this summer. Not only is it limited to these cities, but it will only be delivered to pre-selected commercial and residential real estate developers.

This trial period will undoubtedly give the company the insight it needs to gauge the long-term viability of its furniture system. Hasier Larrea, the founder of Ori, told Mashable, “We are initially targeting multifamily real estate developers/building owners, mostly rentals. This may become available to consumers directly with the right distribution and manufacturing partnerships, but in the short term the idea is to start B2B.”

The company is looking to deploy more systems by early 2017, and it is accepting applications from developers and building owners who are interested.

Possible Application for Small Home Office Space

Just like the challenges individuals face in finding spacious and affordable housing in large urban areas, the problem also applies to business space. This has led to many small companies using co-working spaces for business.  Although Ori Systems hasn’t announced any plans for full office configurations, the technology the company uses can definitely be applied to maximize the efficiency levels of office space, or possibly develop small home office and living configurations in one.

Images: Ori Systems

(Source: smallbiztrends.com  Author: Michael Guta)