Shipping containers that can fold and use less space are gaining some attention as ports and warehouses handle massive overloads of backlogged crates.

Intermodal containers, better known as shipping containers, were standardized by the International Maritime Association decades ago. Most commonly, the large metal units, a ubiquitous sight on ships and at ports, are 8 feet wide by either 20 or 40 feet long. But creators of containers that can fold and take up less space are hoping their concept will catch on.