The Future is Here

Austin's new furniture robot transforms tiny living spaces in big ways

Ori makes its Texas debut in East Austin's new Fourth And development.

Courtesy photo

KVUE — Fourth And is the first Texas condo development to feature the Ori robotic furniture system. The development located on East Fourth Street was part of Austin Energy's Cool House Tour this weekend.

Scott Sproat with Capsa Ventures demonstrated how Ori worked. "You wave your hand over it like this and you hit this button ... the system will move to the desired location ... this one is currently in storage mode so it will move out about four feet," he explained.

Ori, the first shape-shifting furniture robot from MIT, has three modes: storage, living room, and bedroom.

Sproat showed KVUE the system in a micro unit that was 512 square feet. But with a simple voice or motion command, Ori configures the bedroom into a living room.

"You almost gain 100 feet of space with a unit like this, and in Austin where space is in high demand, something like this solves a lot of problems," said Sproat. The micro units allow residents to live efficiently, maximizing space when you need it.

Greg Anderson was one of several people who took the tour. "When you're in a smaller space where space is at a premium, do you really need your bed out all day? Or if you could just push a button and make the bed disappear and open up your living space for the rest of the day and have your friends and family over, I think that's a great opportunity for more living," said Anderson.

The micro units on East Fourth Street are near downtown, which makes it easier for residents to ditch their cars.

"Because we're located so close to mass transportation, we're on the hike-and-bike trail, you can walk into downtown, its less than a mile," said Sproat.

As Capsa Ventures was building it's micro units, it was also working on becoming the greenest condo development in Austin. The developer is currently working with Austin Energy on its highest ranking in its Green Building Program. That announcement is expected this coming week.

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To read the full story and see the video, head to KVUE.

east-austin

greener grass in tx

Texas blooms as No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash

Location, location, location...That's what it's all about when it comes to homesteading in Texas.

If social media is any indicator, homesteading has been one of the hottest trends of 2024. And Texas is leading the charge as the No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening, according to a new report by First Saturday Lime.

Analysts at First Saturday Lime, an insect repellant company featured on Shark Tank, evaluated the "suitability for sustainable living" across all 50 states based on six factors: Climate, community interest (a.k.a online search trends), gardening resources, farmland costs, and others.

The Lone Star State led the nation with the most farms and ranches on the market and the highest total acreage for sale. As of the study's publication, there were 7,520 total properties for sale, spanning more than 2.19 million acres of land.

Texas also ranked favorably for its farmland affordability. The state came in at No. 9 nationally with its average farmland price coming out to $2,800 per acre, the report said.

For comparison, New Mexico (which ranked No. 11 overall) had the most affordable average price per acre of farmland at just $700 per acre. Massachusetts (No. 48) and Connecticut (No. 42), however, tied for the most expensive price per acre, at $14,300.

Among the three remaining categories in the study, Texas performed the worst for its "gardens on Yelp per capita" rank. The study calculated Texas has 0.30 gardening and community garden establishments on Yelp per capita, placing Texas at No. 49.

Meanwhile, Texas' historically hot weather meant it ranked No. 43 out of all 50 states in the "favorable climate" rank, and the state earned a middle-of-the-road No. 35 rank in the "search interest per capita" category.

"Homesteading and gardening are growing in popularity, but some states provide better opportunities than others," the report's author wrote. "Whether you're after fresh produce or the freedom of self-sufficiency, choosing the right state can make all the difference."

Following behind Texas to complete the top three best states for homesteading and gardening are Oregon (No. 2) and Washington (No. 3), two notoriously rainy West Coast states.

Meanwhile, three East Coast states ranked at the bottom of the list as the worst states for homesteading and gardening: Rhode Island (No. 50), New Jersey (No. 49), and Massachusetts (No. 48).

The top 10 best states for homesteading and gardening are:

No. 1 – Texas
No. 2 – Oregon
No. 3 – Washington
No. 4 – Vermont
No. 5 – Delaware
No. 6 – Arizona
No. 7 – Wyoming
No. 8 – Montana
No. 9 – Hawaii
No. 10 – Colorado

The study sourced its data from Yelp, Google Trends, and the UDSA to determine each state's ranking.

farmers gardening homesteading trend nature sustainability rankings