--- title: "Startup Selling Luxurious Homes That Poke Out of the Ocean on Stalks" description: "Ocean Builders has unveiled the SeaPod, a rounded, two-person luxury pod home that hovers above the ocean by way of buoyant, air-filled steel tubes." date: "2022-08-23" modified: "2022-08-23" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/startup-luxurious-homes-ocean-stalks" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "eco-friendly" - "ocean" - "Smart Home" - "the digest" --- # Startup Selling Luxurious Homes That Poke Out of the Ocean on Stalks ![Ocean Builders has unveiled the SeaPod, a rounded, two-person luxury pod home that hovers above the ocean by way of buoyant, air-filled steel tubes.]() *\Image: Ocean Builders\* ## SeaPods Babe, wake up... ocean-borne, Q-tip-like smart homes just dropped, and they admittedly look pretty cool. As [*USA Today* reports](), a Panama-based company called Ocean Builders has unveiled the SeaPod, a rounded, two-person, three-and-a-half-story luxury home that sprouts out of the ocean by way of long steel stalks. The stark white rendered interiors are decidedly modern, and each pod offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of the ocean. In the company's vision, drones will serve as life guards and [deliver things like groceries and medicine](), which seems convenient. Sold yet? Good news: if you've got $295,000 to $1.5 million on hand, you can order one starting as soon as this September — but it'll take a few years before you actually get to live in it, and whether the company can actually deliver on the futuristic homes remains to be seen. ## Eco-Restorative On [its website](), Ocean Builders claims that the SeaPod, as well as its land-dwelling sibling, the GreenPod, is the world's first "eco-restorative home" — essentially, the argument is that because a SeaPod would provide shade from the harsh Sun as well as a structure for sea life like coral and barnacles to attach to, building the pods will actually create a number of mini-habitats for a wide range of marine creatures. "Every SeaPod that goes in the water," reads [the company's site](), "gets us one step closer to restoring a marine ecosystem." Speaking of the environment: if you're worried about, you know, garbage, an autonomous vessel will apparently collect recycling, garbage, and other debris, while other, ahem, *waste*, will allegedly be incinerated into non-toxic ash, as per *USA Today's* report. ## Ocean Motion According to *USA Today*, Ocean Builders says that the first 100 pods will either be in production or delivered by the end of 2023, and the company is hoping to launch a rollout of 1,000 more structures over the following year. "We are planting the SeaPod seed here in Panama," the company's CEO [said in a statement](), "but our eventual goal is to have SeaPod homes in every corner of the ocean, all around the world." If you love the ocean, have just yourself or one other person to house, and have enough cash to luxuriously escape the pending climate catastrophe, the SeaPod could be a lovely fit for you. Although, gotta say — all the incredible promises about these things might sound a bit too good to be true. **READ MORE:** [*Fleets of futuristic homes that float above the sea are 'revolutionizing' aquatic living*]() \[*USA Today*\] **More on future housing:** [*This Futuristic Space Condo Is Designed to Squish into Spacex's Starship*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()