Robotics:

Self-moving furniture could aid those living in tiny spaces.

Living in a tiny apartment is challenging. But a startup born in the robotics labs at MIT has created self-moving furniture that tries to make the most of small spaces.

Ori Inc. of Boston has created a wall-size, computer-controlled furniture case with a bed, nightstand, closet and storage shelves on one side and a combination TV stand, bookcase and fold-out work desk on the other.

The company has installed the system, which is 8 feet tall, in about a dozen luxury apartment buildings around the country, including a 495-square-foot studio in San Francisco’s Channel Mission Bay.

It’s not cheap. The unit costs $10,000, and for now, Ori is offering it only to real estate developers such as Colorado’s UDR, which charges $3,397 to $5,744 per month for an apartment lease at Channel Mission Bay.

Ori CEO Hasier Larrea said his company eventually wants to extend the convenience offered by connected smart devices, such as smart speakers, light bulbs, thermostats, doorbells and garage door openers, to furniture.

The research firm Parks Associates recently estimated that 442 million of those connected home devices will be sold in the U.S. in 2020.

“This is basically bringing a computer into furniture,” Larrea said.

During a demonstration, the Ori system transformed the living room into a bedroom in less than 30 seconds, gliding on wheels over the floor until it revealed a queen-size bed that was tucked underneath. At the same time, the TV stand/entertainment unit side rolled over what had been the living room. When going into living-room mode, the Ori rolls the other way, but can also leave enough space to allow access to the closet and other storage areas.

The unit can be controlled using a side-mounted touch controller, with a mobile phone app or by voice commands using an Amazon Echo smart speaker. The Ori, named partly for the Japanese art of origami paper folding, can also be programmed to transform rooms at certain times, like bedtime.

“This is basically bringing a computer into furniture.” Hasier Larrea, CEO, Ori Inc.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Hasier Larrea, CEO of Ori, demonstrates the company’s robotic combination bedroom/living room unit.

Photos by Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Hasier Larrea, CEO of Ori Systems, shows how extending a panel creates a tabletop or desk in the company’s system.

Larrea demonstrates how the units work by pushing a button on the control interface. The furniture is designed to make the most of smaller living spaces.