Ikea has developed a robotic furniture suite in collaboration with American start-up Ori that is set for roll-out first in Hong Kong.

The Rognan furniture platform includes several items, including a double bed, workstation, wardrobe, media unit, bookshelf and sofa. They are designed with cramped city living spaces in mind, targeting residents of urban micro apartments.

The Rognan unit can transform at different times of the day to fulfil different uses. Furniture owners can reform the platform into a bedroom, walk-in closet or lounge using a touchpad interface.

“We have been working with developing small space living solutions for a long time, and we know that some of the biggest challenges in peoples’ homes are storage and finding the place to do all the activities that you’d want to do in your home,” said Ikea product developer for new innovations Seana Strawn. “This is especially the case in big cities where people have to make compromises in the functions of their homes. We wanted to change that.”

Residents using the Rognan system can free up 8sqm of living space without compromising storage space or comfort.

Pricing for the robotic furniture has yet to be released. It is expected to launch commercially next year in both Hong Kong and Japan before a broader international roll out.