In 1985, the Innovative Design Fund placed an ad in Scientific American offering up to $10,000 to support clever prototypes for clothing, home decor, and textiles. William Freeman Ph.D., then an electrical engineer at Polaroid and now an MIT professor, saw it and submitted a novel idea: a three-sided zipper. Instead of fastening pants, it'd be like a switch that seamlessly flipped chairs, tents, and purses between soft and rigid states, making them easier to pack and put together.
There’s a video in the article showing a few, like pitching a tent and then taking it down.
That tent actually looks useful, if the zippers can hold up.
Immediately when i saw this is thought man this will revolutionise the tent game.
Then i saw the video and am glad they’re all over it