Bumblebee Spaces – How This Startup Is Reinventing Housing Storage Spaces

With cities all over the world seeing rapid expansion, living spaces are becoming precious commodities as the cost of square feet increases exponentially every year.  Places like Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mumbai are notorious for the small living spaces which come at an exorbitant rent. However, a startup named Bumblebee Spaces aims to change living spaces by combining artificial intelligence, software and hardware to create modular storage spaces, thereby increasing the usable space in a living area.

Beginnings

Bumblebee Spaces was founded by Sankarshan Murthy in 2017.  Murthy previously worked at Black & Decker on gears and motors before moving to Apple to work on the Apple iPhone 5C and the Apple Smart Watch.  He later moved to Tesla to work on the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y electric cars. Upon moving to San Francisco, Sankarshan Murthy realised how stifling living areas in the city are and decided to do something about it.

While working at Tesla, Murthy began building the concept and design for Bumblebee Spaces.  After speaking to a colleague, Garret Rayner, who was also of the belief living spaces are becoming smaller, both of them set out to pursue a shared vision.

How the concept works

After sketching out the hardware, which included the furniture and moving components like gears and motors, Murthy realised he needed an expert to help design the software so users can operate the modular storage spaces using their mobile phones or tablets.  He approached his friend Prahlad Athreya to build the software. Prahlad Athreya was the third founder of Bumblebee Spaces.

The smart system relies on a scanner which goes about scanning every piece of item being stored and creates an inventory.  The system keeps a track of the time by logging in when an item is stored or used and by whom. All this information is available on the app, which can be accessed by the user.  The system also uses information from the internet to predict things. For example, if the weather forecast is rainy, the system will automatically recommend an umbrella for usage and lower down the storage box.

How the modules are built

Currently, Bumblebee Spaces reaches out to real estate developers to integrate the modular spacing technology into houses which are under construction as it saves installation costs.  The startup also offers retrofitting, wherein existing living spaces can be converted into modular spaces. The price for installing the modules is anywhere between $ 6,000 and $ 10,000, apart from the cost for maintenance and regular software updates.

This unique startup has a head start in the market with no competitors as of now.  Bumblebee Spaces is looking to expand its offerings, but there is no doubt it is revolutionising how living spaces are utilized.  This startup is providing a glimpse of the world in which the iconic show The Jetsons is based.

Watch how the spaces work here: