Had the feeling someone must have made a similar design in Japan. And yes:

https://youtu.be/iMOkxrdP6kY?si=HWf_Sb-zwk5Vi8ES

(sold for about 10,000 yens https://item.rakuten.co.jp/thanko/000000003846/)

The metal design in the article is still more flexible and durable. I also assumed the Japanese version would be targeted at disaster situations and/or remote mountain areas and be more repairable, but the cost saving part seems to be a major selling point.