A House that Walks

A new prototype house walked around the campus of the Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridgeshire, England.

The eco-friendly house is powered by solar cells and minature windmills, and comes with a kitchen, a composting toilet, a system for collecting rain water, one bed, a wood stove for CO2 neutral heating, a rear opening that forms a stairway entrance, and six legs.

A collaborative effort between MIT and the Danish design collective N55, the house walks about five kilometers an hour similar to the walking speed of a human. The legs reguire a software algorithm to calculate the movement and position of the legs to provide stability over varying terrain. The house can turn, move forward or backwards, or change height as required and can be programmed with GPS waypoints for travelling to destination.