#HTE

Rollor: Cardboard Packaging That You Unroll

Remember that Rolykit roll-up storage box?

The Rolykit

A company called Rollor Packaging has applied the same concept to cardboard:

The idea is that the raised edges “create a protective pressure-free space inside the packaging,” the company writes, citing wrinkle-free clothing shipping as an application.

If it actually is protective enough to ship a bottle of wine, the reduction in the use of bubble wrap would be an environmental boon. But it seems to me that only the ends of the packaging are made robust by the structure, and I think the panels would still be quite vulnerable to deformation.

I’m also skeptical of packages that can roll—at some point during shipping, this thing will take a ride on an inclined conveyor belt—but the company states that “The Rollor Packaging has been tested and approved by UPS to ensure safe shipment. Certified engineers at the UPS Package Design and Test Lab used leading-edge technologies to simulate real-world package transport scenarios for the Rollor Packaging.”

For the record, Rollor inventor and product designer Teun van der Laan says he was inspired by a certain Japanese dish, not the Rolykit:

“On the way to present my graduate thesis, I decided to get something to eat. The sushi on my plate looked beautiful and logical, while the garment bag that hung next to me seemed unwieldy. This is where the idea developed to roll up suits. All that was needed was something to guarantee that they would remain wrinkle free: our patented Rollor Technology.”