Inspired by the technology behind super-strong kite-surfing wings, French company Exod has developed the Air Station POD-01, a portable, inflatable housing solution. The capsule inflates in five minutes and has enough room for up to four people.
While tents have gotten quicker to put up over the years, they still typically involve some arcane origami involving poles and elastic. Exod is taking a different approach to housing in the great outdoors by using air to support its structures.
In 2020, the company ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for Ark, an inflatable hammock/tent that used inflatable beams to provide a support frame for a two-person camping solution that could be placed on the ground or suspended in the trees. A couple of years later, Exod paired things down with the release of Monolith, a one-person inflatable that was also equally comfortable on the forest floor or suspended in midair.
Now, the company is taking pre-orders for its Air Station POD-01, a super-sized version of both its previous efforts that promises to bring easy, spacious shelter to camping expeditions.
Just like Ark and Monolith, the POD employs a frame system based on inflatable tubes which, Exod says, "become incredibly hard and rigid at just 0.5 bar (7 PSI) of pressure." That pressure is provided via a hand pump which can inflate the entire structure in just five minutes, according to the makers. A hyperlapse video on the company's website also shows that the structure can be deflated and packed away in the same period of time.
Once the POD is inflated, it provides 4.2 square meters of floor space (about 45 sq ft) and features walls that raise up to 153 cm (about 5 ft). The walls include large screened openings and windows that allow for a panoramic view, and storage modules that fasten to the air beams keep the floor space clear. When folded down the POD fits into a carry bag that measures 25 x 35 x 64 cm (about 10 x 14 x 25 in). That bag weighs a fairly hefty 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) so this is definitely a tent made for car campers rather than back-country adventurers.
Exod is currently taking discounted pre-orders for the POD-01 in either a black or a white version. The first 10 units are priced at €1,699 (about US$1,843). The next 20 units will sell for €1,799 (about US$1,951). And the final batch will go for €1,899 (about US$2,060). After that the normal retail price will settle in at €2,499 (about US$2,710). The discounts are only available until August 15. Exod says units should begin shipping in late 2024.
Source: Exod