By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 09:59 EST, 6 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:40 EST, 6 April 2013 . A designer has invented self-assembly furniture which moulds itself into whatever shape you want - potentially spelling the end for the Ikea flatpack. The plastic material expands into its final shape 'like popcorn' once it is plugged into a socket and heats up to temperature. And if you don't like the final design of the chair or table you can simply get the software to reshape it whatever way you want. Scroll down for video . 'Popcorn': The flat-pack does-it-itself furniture grows into its final shape when heated to 70C. Inventor Carl De Smet hopes it will one day spell the end for the Ikea flatpack . 'Grows like popcorn': The furniture, which is at the prototype stage, moulds itself into shape in just ten minutes . The technology has been produced by Belgian designer Carl De Smet and could be ready for mass production within a decade. The furniture is made from shape memory polyurethane which expands from five per cent of its final size when heated to 70C. If the final product gets chipped it can be melted down and reformed in the space of a few minutes and the damage will have gone. Mr De Smet said his revolutionary product could one day spell the end for the IKEA flatpack. He told the BBC: 'If everybody goes to IKEA and buys a flatpack then you have a typical key it together. Here the material is the mechanism, so finally the material is doing the work for you. 'You buy it in a rolled up set. When you bring it home you plug it into electricity and it becomes a chair. Belgian designer Carl De Smet tests out one of the plastic chairs. They could go on sale within a few years . Prototype: The furniture is made from shape memory polyurethane which expands from five per cent of its final size when heated to 70C . 'If you are not liking the design you can reshape it in your own creation.' When moving house the furniture can simply be melted back down to its original size before being 'reassembled'. The product will be unveiled at the Milan Design Week festival next week. The idea came from another project to . design an antenna for a spaceship which would grow to its full size . when exposed to the sun. It is unclear what price the product will retail at. Mr De Smet has been working on it since 2002.
Plastic material expands into shape when plugged in and heated to 70C .
If you don't like the final design, the plastic can be reshaped in any way .
Unique furniture uses shape memory polyurethane .
Belgian designer Carl De Smet has been working on scaled down versions and hopes to have it on sale within years .
By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 09:59 EST, 6 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:40 EST, 6 April 2013 . A designer has invented self-assembly furniture which moulds itself into whatever shape you want - potentially spelling the end for the Ikea flatpack. The plastic material expands into its final shape 'like popcorn' once it is plugged into a socket and heats up to temperature. And if you don't like the final design of the chair or table you can simply get the software to reshape it whatever way you want. Scroll down for video . 'Popcorn': The flat-pack does-it-itself furniture grows into its final shape when heated to 70C. Inventor Carl De Smet hopes it will one day spell the end for the Ikea flatpack . 'Grows like popcorn': The furniture, which is at the prototype stage, moulds itself into shape in just ten minutes . The technology has been produced by Belgian designer Carl De Smet and could be ready for mass production within a decade. The furniture is made from shape memory polyurethane which expands from five per cent of its final size when heated to 70C. If the final product gets chipped it can be melted down and reformed in the space of a few minutes and the damage will have gone. Mr De Smet said his revolutionary product could one day spell the end for the IKEA flatpack. He told the BBC: 'If everybody goes to IKEA and buys a flatpack then you have a typical key it together. Here the material is the mechanism, so finally the material is doing the work for you. 'You buy it in a rolled up set. When you bring it home you plug it into electricity and it becomes a chair. Belgian designer Carl De Smet tests out one of the plastic chairs. They could go on sale within a few years . Prototype: The furniture is made from shape memory polyurethane which expands from five per cent of its final size when heated to 70C . 'If you are not liking the design you can reshape it in your own creation.' When moving house the furniture can simply be melted back down to its original size before being 'reassembled'. The product will be unveiled at the Milan Design Week festival next week. The idea came from another project to . design an antenna for a spaceship which would grow to its full size . when exposed to the sun. It is unclear what price the product will retail at. Mr De Smet has been working on it since 2002.
flatpack. The plastic material expands into its you don't like the final design of the chair or Belgian designer Carl De Smet and could be ready furniture is made from shape memory polyurethane size when heated to 70C. If the final product plastic chairs. They could go on sale within a will retail at. Mr De Smet has been working on it