World’s first “origami” kayak sets sail out of TechShop SF

Designer and Oru Kayak founder Anton Willis grew up in rural Mendocino County, with easy access to rivers, lakes, and the ocean. In 2008, a move into a small San Francisco apartment forced his fiberglass kayak into storage. Inspired by an article on new advances in the art and science of origami, Willis sketched a few ideas for a folding kayak. Sketches turned into countless paper models, and over 20 full-scale prototypes built with the help of the full-size ShopBot CNC at TechShop SF.  After user-testing on dozens of bays, lakes, rivers and oceans, Oru Kayaks are ready to explore the world. Read the full story and see video at our 100kGarages.com blog.

The Oru Kayak

The Oru Kayak

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