Playa-ready? The Skysphere can withstand Category 3 winds on its 50 ton movable base, and it delivers beers on command. Imagine a few of these techno treehouses together, joined up with rope bridges and ziplines, maybe a slide or two…
Palmerston North, where the first Skysphere was erected by farmer/inventor Jono Williams, is very close to official Burning Man regional Kiwiburn. Kia kaha cuz!
From collective-evolution
You have to see this to believe it. Situated amongst the hills of Palmerston North in New Zealand, The Skysphere is the brain child of Jono Williams, whose passion for mechanical engineering and design led him to construct the steel structure. When Jono began working on the project he didn’t even know how to weld, but along the way he learned all the skills needed to build his dream. Overall, he estimates that over 3000 hours were spent on its construction.
Being a typical Kiwi bloke, Jono has installed an automated beer dispenser. Yes that’s right, an automated beer dispenser! Whether you think this is over-the-top or not, you have to give it to Jono — he is definitely creative and has the ability to engineer a high spec treehouse that runs on solar power. He had a vision and simply decided make it a reality: he just modelled it on a computer, did some Googling, and built it. It was that simple.
Built to withstand an 8.5 earthquake and 200 kilometre an hour winds, Jono’s Skysphere even has a ‘Zombie Mode’ built into it, just in case things really hit the fan. And absolutely everything is automated, from the lights and doors to the fingerprint reader. Unfortunately, if you are Jono’s 251st friend you won’t get inside, as his fingerprint reader can only account for 250 people! Jono controls everything, from working out how much power he has generated from the solar panels mounted on the roof, to the level of lighting, to his entertainment system, all run by an app. To top it off, this fully transportable high tech treehouse has a star view platform which gives Jono and his 250 friends access to the universe and a spectacular night time vista
[Source: collective evolution]
This is the sort of thing we have to do in New Zealand, to keep the orcs out.
Image: My Photo journeys / Flickr CC BY 2.0
Did not see any a/c. With all those windows and electronics that place would get pretty warm in a temperate climate.
OK, the beer is in cans, so that’s an epic fail. The glare makes the video screen pretty useless in the day. Also, unless you get delivery – that can bring the food up the ladder – I saw no kitchen. Most of the technology has nothing to do with the innovation of the metal treehouse design, which is the strong point.
Wonder what a service call on the beer dispense costs… 😉
I know a few Burners who would be able to fix that. Cans get recycled, 5000 lbs worth in 2015
Glass is inert, and bottles can be sanitized and directly reused.
“Aluminum Can Waste – Bigger Impact Than Plastic Bottle Waste”
http://archive.grrn.org/beverage/shareholders/articles/can_waste.html
“But here’s the thing: Like most other commercially available cans, beer cans are lined with epoxy that contains bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that keeps foods from reacting to aluminum, but that has also become associated with a range of ailments, including cancer, reproductive trouble, and irregular brain development in kids.”
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/02/no-i-cant-why-im-turning-away-canned-craft-beer
Don’t let friends drink beer from cans.
Aluminum and Dietary Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease
http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1990/pdf/1990-v05n02-p074.pdf
10 Million Baby Boomers Face Alzheimer’s Epidemic
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/01/10-million-baby-boomers-face-alzheimer-s-epidemic.aspx?_escaped_fragment_=#!
“Avoid aluminum, such as in antiperspirants, cookware, etc.”
So, either get aluminum poisoning or BPA poisoning. All my cookware is either glass or stainless coated.
I am thinking a zip line would be better access than the ladder: http://1drv.ms/1UXb1iP