Futuristic, ‘floating’ SeaPods will offer eco-friendly aquatic living
SeaPod rendering at sunset. (Grant Romundt from Ocean Builders)
One company is looking to the future, unveiling what they describe as the "world's first eco-restorative homes" in the form of "floating" pods that sit in the ocean.
It’s basically "Waterworld" but with fancy floating homes.
Ocean Builders, an ocean-innovation technology company, announced it will be offering the purchase and rental of their eco-friendly homes: the SeaPod, which is built for aquatic living, the GreenPod, which is for land living, and an EcoPod version will be available for either/or SeaPod or GreenPod as an eco-friendly alternative home, according to the company website.
A fleet of pods is already under construction in Linton Bay Marina located in Panama and the company hopes the homes will be ready by 2023.
Reservations to either rent or own a future pod can be made today with a $100 deposit, according to the company website.
"We are planting the SeaPod seed here in Panama, but our eventual goal is to have SeaPod homes in every corner of the ocean, all around the world," said Ocean Builders CEO Grant Romundt in a June 2022 statement.
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How much will the pods cost?
The cost of SeaPods or GreenPods will cost anywhere between $295,000 to $1.5 million depending on what buyers decide to add on.
The company claimed it is trying to keep the cost of the pods as "close as possible to an average U.S. family home," according to the website.
Here’s what the pods will look like
Where are they located?
For now, the SeaPods and GreenPods are being constructed in Panama but the goal is to eventually have them in all oceans and countries across the globe, according to the website.
How will residents get supplies?
Ocean Builders is currently working on perfecting a drone delivery system for the SeaPods that will all be connected through smart technology, according to the website.
The drone will be unmanned and in theory, will use an artificial intelligence system currently under development by the company to deliver not just pizza and groceries but medical supplies also.
"Instead of risking taking the boat back during an emergency or waiting for someone to come to you, the drone would be able to bring you what you need much quicker," the company said in a blog post.
What is an eco-restorative home?
The SeaPods will not only be futuristic and fun to look at but they will also help to grow and restore an aquatic ecosystem below.
"SeaPods are what marine biologists call ‘fish aggregation devices.’ This means that anytime you put something in the water that makes shade it attracts sea life. It often starts with barnacles and other life starts to grow on the underwater surface of your Pods. This can lead to coral grow and eventually homes for fish. After a process of years this can grow into a thriving underwater ecosystem," the website said.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.