Secluded Yet Open Indoor-Outdoor Refuge
January 3, 2013 by Robin Plaskoff Horton
More than a piece of transparent mobile furniture, Cocoon is a personal bubble retreat to be experienced outdoors or indoors, on the ground, attached to a ceiling, floating on water, even suspended within a net from a tree to gently sway in the breeze, virtually without boundaries.
Furniture to Live In(side)
At about 5.9 feet in diameter (180 cm), Cocoon is a spacious private place of solitute, but not so large that it will not fit into an existing space. Each Cocoon comes with the basic transparent foundation and two “pillow modules.”
But Cocoon is evolving and multi-functional, a pod whose function can morph into something else with the addition of a variety of available modules.
One moment Cocoon might be a lounging space, then with the addition of a sleeping module, Cocoon transforms into a living and sleeping pod.
Along with the sleeping modules, one can stash personal stuff in storage modules, work, or be entertained listening to music with a battery-powered Wi-Fi media module. Outdoors, one can even cook using a basic cooking module, which includes a battery-operated stove and water module with an overflow pipe.
I suppose that if wanting to be suspended from a tree, one would need someone to raise and lower the pod after entering it and the net must have an opening for getting in and out. And at 97 kg (about 213 lbs), or 135 kg (297.6 lbs) when added with the standard modules, it would require some serious strength to raise and lower it. Maybe there is some sort of mechanical pulley enabling one to raise and lower the pod from the inside?
Take a look, then leave a comment to let me know what you think…
Created by Swiss company, Micasa Labs, Cocoon should be available in Fall 2013 and will retail for $2990.
Note: After publication, I received this message from Micasa:
“For now the person inside the bubble needs assistance, we have simply used a ladder to enter and exit the Cocoon. And yes, it’s heavy and one person can’t handle it alone, in the future there will be winch is my guess. All the best, Per”