It is a real issue: apartments are so small today and they are only getting smaller as premium psf rates stay relatively high in major metropolitan areas such as Singapore, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Boston, Washington DC and Seattle. Rather than complaining on social media or wallowing in nostalgia for the good old days (admit it, you’ve done it before as well), Ori Systems dives headfirst into the problem and provides people with the panacea to cramped urban dwellings. Meet Ori’s architectural robotics: intelligent foldable furniture at one’s literal fingertips. Oh yes, if you live in those last three cities, pay special attention…

Seemingly straight out of a sci-fi movie, Ori’s furniture uses modular and scalable mechatronics that allow furniture to fold and hide themselves with a press of a button. Simply tap a device attached to the main unit (in the form of a bed containing multiple storage spaces), or its accompanying app, and watch as furniture glides across the floor or fold out of sight. It is like Japanese paper origami – which is, in fact, its namesake – where one can design the layout of their living spaces themselves, with minimal effort. Bid goodbye to congested interiors!

This collaboration between Fuseproject (led by designer Yves Behar) and MIT Media Lab, Ori’s furniture – while confined to homes currently – may one day find itself in offices as well. “The way we experience our living spaces, and maybe one day offices too, now has the ability go past the static structural elements of the past,” declared Fuseproject.

The first iterations of Ori’s architectural robotics will be available in Boston, Washington DC and Seattle starting this summer. For the rest of us, rest assured, for the future is coming.