Collapsible Cool

You see a lot of cool, crazy, wacky, beautiful stuff on the web. But how's this for genius design, in the form of a "Why didn't I think of that!?" idea, delivered as a save-the-world-and-make-money-at-the-same-time proposition. When industrial designers get it right, it can be awe-inspiring. Geekily awe-inspiring, but still awe-inspiring. I hope this guy gets really, really rich. * * * Collapsible Shipping Container It's made of a fiberglass composite and weighs 75% as much as a standard metal container. It folds down to 25% of its expanded size. The composite is more resistant to corrosion than the steel it replaces, is easier to clean and it floats. Making it results in 25% of the carbon dioxide generated by manufacture of its steel counterpart. Collapsed containers can be bundled together in groups of four, allowing ships to load far more quickly and cutting time spent in port. The Cargoshell, invented by Rene Giesbers, a heating-systems engineer from the Netherlands, "can be collapsed or opened in 30 seconds by a single person using a forklift truck," according to an article in the March 6, 2010 Economist Technology Quarterly. Hat tip to Book Of Joe.