The instruction manual…

Hey – if my house could play “The Girl from Ipanema” I’d buy it!

@gorillapaws
Interesting to find out how much the purchaser needs to know, but I gathered that the crew that brings it does that? If not then pay a little more to get them to set it up.

I read the comment and found this in regards to set up.

“The first video I saw was on LinkedIn, and it showed that they unfold themselves, and that all you need is a screwdriver.”

The military had a project like this. The goal was to provide temporary housing for x people and set up within 30 minutes. Everything needed to be inside the footprint of a 20 or 40 ft sea container. Two tractors or tanks were used to pull on opposite sides while the entire thing unfolded into an amazing amount of space. Inside panels flopped down to make work surfaces and beds. Furniture and accessories were packed inside.
It was an engineering marvel. Until they asked for it to resist penetration from a certain bullet.

I suppose because its a new innovation the costs NOW are at $120,000 (U.S. $)

From what I can deduce from the video of the design there is an incredible amount of sideloading on some of the hinges. You might get them to work once but they will likely never work after 5 years of outdoor use. Maybe that is not a problem.
I also don’t see how they seal it and make it weather tight. The walls don’t appear to be insulated. This may be fine in Tennessee but not here where it gets cold. Is there plumbing? Would the pipes freeze? What about electricity? So many questions.
It does look cool though.

@Inspired_2write I was being tongue-in-cheek. I’m sure you’re right about the setup. This was cool and I appreciate you sharing the video. Origami-based engineering is probably going to become increasingly more common. I recently came across a video from a few years ago talking about this stuff. It’s useful for things like surgical instruments, and satellites that need to collapse into specific dimensions. I imagine improvements in software are making these kinds of concepts easier to design.

Long-term that thing is likely a maintenance nightmare.

@gorillapaws
Wow what an intriguing video!
Yes Origami inspired devices and products , more often now..a new era of innovations!

The video is about mobile housing and is akin to a travel trailer. I assume the utilities happen magically and the house sitting on four little legs will keep you safe in a hurricane or tornado. I think very little of this for real permanent housing. It looks way too expensive to even take the place of, say, FEMA trailers.

I must admit they do look neat. They have centered many of their designs on a combination of 4 bar mechanisms. It is interesting to watch.
I’m not sure of their actual building experience but, for sure, their designers are primo animators.

I’d like to see the real thing and not just architectural visualization. That’s sort of a red flag IMO.

Here is a company that actually makes and sell houses. Boxabl.
the folding is not as radical as 10 Fold but it is easy to understand and makes physics sense. the walls are insulated and are screwed together for extra stability and strength.
They have raised money and have a large, about 4 acres, facility where they can expand production. A 20 ft x 20 ft structure with utilities and places for hookups is $50,000.
Boxabl

That setup actually makes sense.

@Blackwater_Park I agree. It makes a lot more sense than those tiny homes that have half the space, cost 2–3 times as much, and take a long time to build.

@LuckyGuy – very cool, though I can’t wrap my head around that price point. 50k? There’s got to be a catch, though I’ll admit it has excellent design. It’s generous where it counts and conservative where it can be.

@Smashley Funny. I was thinking it might be too expensive. 2 units would be $100,000 for only an 800 sq ft house.
$100k in this area will get you so much more. Plus you’d get the land!

@LuckyGuy
But the advantage is that its portable, can be moved to another location.
Hmmm go me wondering about that in that one could rent the land and move the house whenever one wanted to change locations such as Cottage country etc

@Inspired_2write I could easily park a couple of those in my back field and supply power and water hook ups. I wonder if anyone would be interested in a vacation in western NY.

@LuckyGuy – I too live in an area where 100k will get you a lot, as far as land and old houses. New construction, however is approaching $300/ft^2. I suppose this place doesn’t have a foundation, or land or grid tie in, septic, etc, so it would probably cost double as a housing solution, but still, i would have thought materials alone to be over 50k. It’s ok if im wrong, its happened before, but Im currently mired in this crap and it just strikes me as too good to be true.

It is too good to be true.
Here is an excellent video describing what is needed to actually hook up a Boxabl. It includes costs for everything: delivery, permits, setup, foundation, etc.
Figure an additional $40,000 on top of the $50,000 .
Real cost of Boxable