RockPaperRobot: Furniture that Collapses and Snaps Back

At first glance the line of tables by RockPaperRobot come off as modern and sleek. They’re constructed from evenly spaced rows and columns of black walnut cubes. But upon further inspection, the gaps between the cubes are only spanned by thinnest of steel cables. How is this possible?

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Puzzled, you press down on the tabletop and the whole piece squishes together. You release and all the cubes spring back to attention. Yes, the secret is magnets! All the cubes are held in dynamic tension by magnets embedded in the wood. Every cube repels one another, but they’re held together by the steel cables. They call it the Float Table, and it’s just as functional as it is magical– a celebration of modern design and Newtonian physics.

If you’re in town for Maker Faire New York this month, you’ll be able to check out the Float Table as well as other equally stunning RockPaperRobot creations. Hope to see you there!

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In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens' educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

View more articles by Michael Colombo

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