BetaBox: A New Way to Prototype

Who knew a shipping container could be home to a custom prototyping lab? But, thanks to BetaBox, as pictured above from betaversity.com, this idea is a reality!

In this day and age, as higher-education budgets continue to drop, a group of young entrepreneurs from Betaversity, an education technology company, might have found a solution to this problem with the invention of the BetaBox.

The BetaBox, which is a repurposed 25-foot shipping container, is equipped with prototyping equipment that ranges from 3D scanners and printers to laser cutters.

Each pod, as the company calls them, is built with the idea of creating an environment that encourages entrepreneurial thinking and creativity.

The Betaversity team even went on to say that the BetaBox is “an incubator for innovation and rapid prototyping.”

Though the BetaBox at its core is easily accessible, its design caters to schools, events and institutions.

Now, each BetaBox comes with a Betaversity employee. This doesn’t mean that the person lives inside of the shipping container; it simply means that an employee is assigned to a certain BetaBox to make sure that everything is running smoothly inside.

The space is very inviting, welcoming and clean. The design was meant to take any semblance of intimidation away. The walls of the shipping container are made of white boards that invite free thinking and collaboration.

As of right now, Betaversity has raised $53,000, mostly in grants. It charges $4,000 to $5,000, depending on how far it needs to be shipped, to rent a BetaBox for the week.

Time will tell if Betaversity’s BetaBox is a hit; and, if it is, more shipping containers will be retrofitted and put into the mix for more people to exercise their innovation and creativity!

Here’s a quick video to give you a better look at BetaBox, the mobile prototyping lab!