Lift-Bit, a modular sofa controlled by an app, is ready for preorders

New at Salone del Mobile 2017: One of architect Carlo Ratti’s many out-of-the-box projects is finally being realized. The Lift-Bit, a modular and shape-shifting sofa that debuted at last year’s Salone as a prototype, is now officially ready for production.

A collaboration between Ratti’s studio, Carlo Ratti Associati, and Milanese rapid prototyping lab Opendot, the Lift-Bit is made up of single upholstered stools, which are embedded with motion-tracking sensors and can be controlled remotely with an app. The app modulates the height of the stools according to a series of predetermined three- dimensional shapes and includes a tool to create different configurations. Simply getting close to it and moving your hand over one of the stools will also cause the sofa to autonomously adjust.

“Lift-Bit draws on the potential of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to transform our interior landscape, giving form to an endlessly reconfigurable environment”, said Ratti in a press release. “In the future, we could imagine an architecture that adapts to human need, rather than the other way around.”

The sofa can be arranged into almost any configuration to suit different needs. Need a bed? Simply arrange all of the modules into a flat position. Alternatively, you could create a mini playground for children by having all the stools in different heights. Lift-Bit is now available to pre-order through its website (though pricing details are not provided.)