Folding

Although an electric motorbike might be a fun and economical form of transportation, finding parking for the thing could be problematic. That's where the Tatamel Bike comes in, as it can fit beneath a desk when folded.

Four years ago, Blizwheel hit Kickstarter with a pair of strap-on electric skates called ESkates that folded flat between rides. Though that funding campaign was cancelled, the company is trying again, this time with a folding electric kickscooter.

Back in 2016, startup Arovia launched a portable, pop-up display solution called SPUD. Now the company is set to launch a brighter, higher-res, more compact follow up called Splay, and has added a neat projector mode too.

At its latest Samsung Unpacked event, Samsung has shown off its folding screen tech with the new generation of its Z Fold and Z Flip phones. Most of the changes are skin-deep, but the few spec updates are important, and a price drop sweetens the deal.

There's no denying that hauling a folding ebike on public transport is a much easier proposition than traveling with a full-sized model. The latest fold-down offering from Fiido boasts up to 130 km of range, torque sensing, and keyless security.

Ordinarily, if you're building something, you don't want the materials to buckle under pressure. In a new Harvard University-designed system, however, that buckling action allows flat-packed objects to be twisted into useful three-dimensional forms.

Many hikers use trekking poles, plus they carry a folding camp chair in their backpack. The TrekChair is designed to both save space and reduce weight, by integrating the poles into the chair's frame.

Picture solar panels, and you’re most likely picturing a solid square slab. But the tech is becoming more flexible, and now engineers at Pusan National University in Korea have developed prototype solar cells that are fully foldable.

Back in 2018, we heard about a full-size foldable wheel known as the Revolve. Its inventor, Andrea Mocellin, has now incorporated the technology into a wheelchair that folds down to fit inside an airliner's overhead baggage area.

We've seen tiny houses that extend upward, tiny houses that extend outward, and even tiny houses that take the roof off, but Brette Haus puts a new spin on the small living movement with a folding design intended for easier transportation.

The Japanese folding paper art form of kirigami has a lot of potential for engineering. Scientists have taken this technique down to the nanoscale for the first time, opening up new possibilities in applications ranging from robotics to aerospace.

Although quadcopter drones may offer relatively good battery life, their hexa- and octocopter counterparts can lift heavier loads. The xFold drone can go either way, however, with extra propeller arms that can be attached or detached as needed.