The Ultimate Chick Magnet

I just wish it cost 1/1000 of what it costs: $1.5 million

It exists currently only as a 1:5 scale model (good for a pet, or as a conversation piece, or for sitting), and even that costs $150,000.

Quote :

"The Floating Bed Given that we spend roughly a third of our life asleep, the humble bed has had remarkably little innovation pointed in its direction over the ages. So a new floating bed which hovers 40 cm above the floor represents a significant development in the design of sleeping apparatus. Debuting at the recent Millionaire Fair ( http://www.millionairefair.com ) in Kortrijk, Belgium , the floating bed is the result of six years of development by Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars working with Bakker Magnetics ( http://www.bakkermagnetics.be ). Using the power of permanent opposing industrial-strength magnets to enable it to float, the full scale bed can hold 900 kilograms of weight, while a smaller one fifth scale platform can safely hold 80 kilogams. Already people are beginning to see many applications for the simple yet visually arresting platforms ranging from the basis for a sofa, Coffee table, Japanese dining table and particularly in the display areas where museums and high-end visual merchandisers are beginning to conceptualise numerous creative uses. Four thin cables assure its motionless position and form the only contact with the ground and the only other aspect which concerned us about what is essentially a stunningly simple device was the issue of sleeping in such close proximity to magnetic fields. Janjaap assures us that should you feel inclined to slip your bankcard into your pyjamas, the magnetic field atop the unit is not enough to degauss the magnetic strip. The field below the unit is a different matter however, and given that the magnetic field is strong enough to suspend 900 kilograms, it’s not recommended that people with pacemakers go under the bed – so if you're wearing a pacemaker and drop the strawberry lube while using the floating bed, it’d be advisable to ask your partner to retrieve it. One final note of caution – as all students of physics will no doubt have already twigged, the floating bed is attached to the ground by four thin cables, otherwise it’d slide off the magnetic force field and crash to the floor. Pricing for the floating bed is decidedly in the millionaire league, with the one fifth scale unit selling for EU€115,000 and the full floating bed costing EU€1,200,000 Janjaap Ruijssenaars is an architect (Master of Science) and founder of Universe Architecture ( http://www.universearchitecture.com ). His work includes urban planning, architecture and design. By reflecting these professions on one another, fascinating new ideas and forms emerge. This Floating Bed is an intriguing example of this process. For more information regarding the floating bed, or to inquire about international distribution, Janjaap can be contacted here ( mailto:info@universearchitecture.com ). "

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 9:58 AM. Reason : ]

8/6/2006 9:53:20 AM

I suppose millionaires are always having to find new and interesting stupid ways of wasting their money.

What if the power goes out in the middle of the night? Do you go slamming to the ground?

8/6/2006 9:57:34 AM

^ they're not electromagnets.

it looks neat.

but those wires make the bed take up a lot of space.

and it doesn't look all that comfortable.

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 10:01 AM. Reason : h]

8/6/2006 9:58:43 AM

Well I'd imagine that's just the slab that you would put a mattress on. Right?

And those wires would suck ass when trying to make the bed. or get up in the middle of the night to pee. Of course I guess if you're spending 1.5 million on a bed you don't concern yourself with trivial details like that.

8/6/2006 10:01:46 AM

Doubt you can operate a laptop or cell phone while on that bed.

I'd love to see an magnetic field diagram for that thing.

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 10:13 AM. Reason : lol]

8/6/2006 10:12:07 AM

dumbest thing i've ever seen

8/6/2006 11:34:44 AM

Quote :

"What if the power goes out in the middle of the night? Do you go slamming to the ground?"

itd make a pretty good alarm clock

8/6/2006 11:40:52 AM

you could get rid of all of the wires if one side is just anchored to a wall...still a floating bed, sans the wires

8/6/2006 12:09:02 PM

i like it

8/6/2006 12:27:35 PM

8/6/2006 12:27:49 PM

Seriously.

I don't care until hooverboards are invented.

8/6/2006 12:48:54 PM

i think its a cool concept, not very practical, but a cool concept

we'll see it on cribs soon enough

8/6/2006 12:49:32 PM

Quote :

"you could get rid of all of the wires if one side is just anchored to a wall...still a floating bed, sans the wires"

umm...no. Do you even know why the wires are there in the first place?

edit: unless you meant actually affixing the bed to the wall, which sorta defeats the whole purpose of a floating bed, now doesn't it?

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]

8/6/2006 1:23:06 PM

Unless the bed floats back and forth or up and down, I don't think it's that interesting...I mean, I would feel like it's just a bed that's held up by four amazing wires.

Meh.

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 1:28 PM. Reason : sss]

8/6/2006 1:26:36 PM

yeah, I would feel just about the same if I had a bed that was suspended from the ceiling by those same 4 wires.

8/6/2006 1:31:04 PM

Quote :

"Seriously. I don't care until hoverboards are invented."

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 3:56 PM. Reason : ]

8/6/2006 3:55:51 PM

brb, gotta find a better site with lyrics

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

8/6/2006 3:57:07 PM

idk... but i gotta say that's flippin awesome...

me love sleep.

8/6/2006 4:07:14 PM

Am I the only one who could care less?

8/6/2006 8:50:36 PM

Nah, I can't care less. I'm trying, but I've hit rock bottom.

8/6/2006 9:10:52 PM

instead of doing the bed, could i just do my whole floor with industrial magnets and then get boots made of opposing magnets?

instead of walking i would just float around magneto style.

8/6/2006 9:50:06 PM

Quote :

"yeah, I would feel just about the same if I had a bed that was suspended from the ceiling by those same 4 wires. "

Not really, it would have an eerie bounciness to it.

It would probably feel really weird in an earthquake too.

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 10:00 PM. Reason : ]

8/6/2006 9:59:45 PM

Cross the cables under the bed, problem solved

8/6/2006 10:14:59 PM

it would be impossible to retrieve anything even remotely magnetic from under the bed. better hope there's not a metal clasp on your dog's collar.

8/6/2006 10:38:14 PM

^^ it would still rotate if the wires were crossed underneath

8/6/2006 10:48:13 PM

couldn't you angle the magnets in such a way as to negate the need for the wires?

8/6/2006 10:55:38 PM

no, any angle other than level and the bed would slide to the ground

8/6/2006 10:56:46 PM

When I first read the description and hadn't seen the pics yet, I thought the cables came out of the 4 corners of the bed and went vertically down to the ground.

Why couldn't it be like that? That would introduce a bot of movement, but the bed couldn't go anywhere. And it would just be like bed posts then, so nothing getting in the way.

Quote :

"yeah, I would feel just about the same if I had a bed that was suspended from the ceiling by those same 4 wires."

Here are 2 more (mot magnetic) by different companies:

http://www.floatingbed.com/
Hanging from ceiling, but not motionless


http://www.bernsteindesign.com/index.asp?page=004_furniture/002_floatingbed
Hanging from ceiling, but motionless

8/7/2006 1:19:30 AM

this is ooold, and i doubt it will ever see commercial sale. there are a lot of concerns about what the longterm exposure to such powerful magnets would do to a person

8/7/2006 1:32:25 AM

^ There's no better way to find out than sleeping in a really cool floating bed

8/7/2006 3:25:21 AM

lame

8/8/2006 9:04:26 AM

baller as fuck

8/8/2006 9:25:58 AM

guestroom

8/8/2006 9:29:00 AM