A luxury floating home unveiled in Panama late last month embarrassingly failed to live up to the “floating” part of its description.
The SeaPod was intended to be the first part of a plan to make “the 72% of the world that is covered in water into an eco-sustainable paradise” according to manufacturers Ocean Builders.
“Our technology will allow civilisation to move onto the sea and it will unlock the ocean as a new frontier with a quality of life that is unbeatable anywhere else,” the company boasted.
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The unique habitat includes a special smart ring that will summon takeaway-carrying drones when the owner gets a little peckish.
But the futuristic home’s launch turned out to be a bit of a damp squib when the £1.3m ocean habitat keeled over in front of an audience that included Panama’s president, Laurentino Cortizo.
In their advertising pitch for the SeaPod, Ocean Builders explain that: "Just like an iceberg, the hidden magic of a SeaPod lays beneath the surface."
The towering structure, looking like a classic Bond-villain lair, is kept afloat by 1,688 cubic feet of air-filled steel tubes which, according to the manufacturers, results in so much buoyancy that it is able to push the entire SeaPod up 3 metres above the water”.
Unfortunately, a malfunctioning bilge pump threw the prototype habitat off balance and caused it to flood.
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The company explained: "At roughly 4:35pm on Thursday Sept 22nd, our SeaPod experienced a ballast tank and pumping system malfunction which caused flooding in the jacuzzi spar. This flooding quickly passed through to the other spars causing what we’re referring to as 'The Tilt'."
Ocean Builders stressed that no-one was harmed in the unfortunate, but hilarious, mishap.
In a statement to Autoevolution, a spokesperson for the company said, “Like all innovation and new technology, there is a likelihood of trial and error, and that provides an opportunity to learn, improve, and continue to innovate on ocean technology.”
If you’re still interested in a life on the ocean wave, prices of the SeaPod at around $295,000 (£263,000), but can reach up to $1.5 million (£1.3m).
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