The woman behind the innovative furnishings company RockPaperRobot (RPR) might be as fascinating as her designs. A trained roboticist with an Engineer’s and Master’s degree from MIT, Jessica Banks was in the Humanoid Robotics Group within the university’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. She left graduate school just shy of her Ph.D. to teach about distributed power systems in MIT’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and also holds a B.S. in General Physics from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in Creative Writing. And when you think she couldn’t be any cooler, you find out that she used to be Al Franken’s personal assistant.
New from RPR is the Float Table, a magical Rubik’s Cube-like structure that elastically deforms and stabilizes when force is applied. The handcrafted table is a matrix of “magnetized” wooden cubes that levitate with respect to one another. The repelling cubes are held in equilibrium by a system of tensile steel cables. Float is available in a variety of woods and finishes as 38″ x 18.5″ x 18.5″ coffee table, a 18.5″ x 18.5″ side table, and in custom sizes. Shelving is also available. Prices start at $10K USD.
Other wonders from RPR include the Brag Table, a diamond-shaped table that balances on its point, and the Gleam Chandelier, a lighting fixture that contracts and expands its reach in response to ambient sound. If you want to take a closer look, you can visit RPR at booth #961 during ICFF in New York City later this month.
All images courtesy of RockPaperRobot.
