Wooden electronic ruler concept makes measuring fun again
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 25th 2009 9:48AM
posted July 25th 2009 9:48AM
Think the market on measuring things has been cornered? Think again, cause designer Shay Shafranek recently came up with this new concept that adds a bit of newfangled technology to and old fashioned wooden ruler. The secret, it seems, is a line of tiny metal points running along the edge of the ruler, which can detect when you touch 'em with a pencil and display the exact measurement on the LED display discreetly hidden inside. Better yet, the ruler can apparently store measurements and add 'em up as you go along, eliminating the need for any pesky remembering or math. Of course, it is still just a concept, and there's no indication that Shafranek has any commercial plans for it just yet. In the meantime, you can get a peek at its inner working courtesy of the clear version after the break.
[Via Technabob]
[Via Technabob]
Graphite pencil tip, metal contacts along side of ruler.
How soon before that graphite shorts out those contacts?
Interesting,
Though by the looks of it, it'd need a hell of a lot of graphite to connect between them since they have open gaps between them,
I do believe that is actually the way it works. When two small metal contacts are shorted, the ruler knows which two and where they are placed, therefore knowing the location of the pencil tip.
What Ola said.
This is sweet. But it could always be better with freakin lasers.
the bigger question is, what happens if you want to measure something without marking it up with a pencil?
What's a pencil?
using anything with a metal nib should do the same trick, assuming it tracks which 2 or 3 points are "connected"
The question we really need answered is does it make that great twanging / slapping sound when you hold it off the edge of the desk and ping the end of it, sliding it onto the desk as the oscillations subside - and does this void the warranty?
Or does it make that sweet smacking sound when Sister Teresa whacks it across your knuckles.
The REAL question is: why do I have this deja vu feeling? Like, I think I read this (100% sure I read it) before, and I'm almost sure I read it on Engadget...
Was measuring ever fun?
Oh, and this looks like a classic solution looking for a problem.
not necessarily. This has about a dozen issues that it could potentially address IF it was implemented correctly.
1. This could be used to take VERY accurate measurements. Have you ever looked at a ruler and it matches up to one line if you look from one angle, but a different line if you look from another? This will simply tell you the measurement by touching the spot you want.
2. On particularly fine measurements, have you found yourself counting 1/32 of an inch only to lose track in the middle? Just like a digital clock is easier to read than analog, this will take the fuss out of reading the ruler
3. Have you ever been measuring something at the MIDDLE of the ruler, either because you are starting from 1 inch to make your measurement a little more accurate, or perhaps even 2 or 3 inches because you're trying to measure beyond the end of a line, but parallel to it? You have to take both points and subtract to get the length you want, but this ruler could do it by simply touching the two end points of what you're measuring on the ruler and letting it do the calculation.
4. Has your ruler ever been too SHORT to measure what you needed? the typical solution was to have to make the endpoint of your ruler, then move the ruler so it started from where you marked, then finally add all the lengths up manually. As stated, this ruler should be able to do that for you
Other Potentially Awesome Stuff
5. Multiplication could be implemented to allow the calculation of an area
6. A notch could be added at the starting corner, allowing you to rotate around a center point of a circle. If it was set up properly so that it could measure rotation, you could measure the length of a section of the circumference of a circle.
6a. Using the above method, combined with the ruler's ability ot automatically calculate length, you could set your pencil on the edge of the ruler along the boarder of a non-circular shape and trace the line while rotating in order to measure the area of a completely non standard shape.
those are just off the top of my head.
BUT (biiiig but) that's only if it's all set up properly. If they don't do enough with it, it's going to be a novelty at best.
Many people cannot read a watch that has hands. Digital watches did that. This is likely to do the same.
JUST SWITCH OVER TO METRIC, ALREADY!!
Now i'll have to measure my penis with some tape. great. first Betamax then VHS.
there is always micro tapes, right?
........right?
E-Stim is good.
Good job I have a steel penis.
That's just what we need. I used to work in a flooring store and grown adults couldn't figure out how to measure anything. Give them this and they'll never learn.
Oh, that's fine. I've been getting more carpet and tile than I've paid for over the years -- maybe this will help give me more!
Not very useful if you don't know how much you need to measure beforehand.
Otherwise, very cool idea!
Wanna know how to give your kids an even bigger edge over people in the U.S.?
Teach them to use a standard ruler.
I do not have any interest in any of these design ideas that get posted here from time to time.
Wait, you took time out to reply to something you don't care about? Really?
Can you use it without a pencil? For just measuring small dimensions. I like the minimal design, but I guess I for one could use the metrics written directly on the ruler.
The problem with this is, how do i know when to stop until I've already gone to far.
WTF? Measuring? Fun again?
When was measuring fun, and for who?
I can't wait to meet the girl whose hobbies include travel, long walks on the beach, and measuring!
LOL!!!
Yeah girls measure, and I can understand why you don't want to know that ;)
I'm just teasing, relax.
The secret is nothing. It's not a real gadget, it's a Photoshop. Why the hell does Engadget insist on putting these "concepts" up? I've got a new concept for an electric car with a 1500 mile range and it can be charged by simply putting it in the sun for 3 minutes, that's a gadget, right? I can send you a picture.
Anyway, this thing is stupid because you cannot actually lay the ruler alongside an item and read off the length! Instead I'd have to put the item on a piece of paper, draw along the item with a pencil and then see the number.
It's not a Photoshop. RTFA.
http://freshome.com/2009/07/15/wooden-electronic-ruler/
This is how digital callipers work, there's a fine set of lines and a detector, so basically you can get an digital calliper and hack this together yourself theoretically.
I did RTFA. You tell me which one of those photos convinces you this is real. Is it the one with the 3 chips that just happen to have the same 5 resistors (or caps) near them in the same locations?
It's all rendered and chopped.
What image makes you think that it IS shopped?
do want
I find this design interesting, not really "fun" but, guys, we all know we have to pass thru this to reach the future afterward.
that person needs to cut their nails.. shit
ewwwww
but... will it snap to grid?
Ha! That's a good question.
What use is this if you don't want to draw something? You'd have to measure this ruler with a conventional one. Derrrrr
This was better on all the other gadget blogs last week......
Great idea. I like the part where it can remember, and add measurements. Put a regular calculator in it, and it would be great for figuring miles on maps.
I got Wood!
If thats a dude, he needs to cut his nails.
Hah, I'm pretty sure Gizmodo had an article about this about a month ago.
Once again, Gizmodo>Engadget
And in the great words of Johnny Storm, "Flame on!"
FYI, the three chips have "the same 5 resistors (or caps) near them in the same locations" (resistors btw) because those chips are 7-seg display drivers. One per 7-seg, three 7-segs thus three chips with identical pinouts. Incredible.
Incidentally those will be current limiting resistors to drop down the output current of the chip flowing through the LEDs.
This actually looks rather helpful
Brilliant idea. If those things can be made for a few $, I know people who'd buy thousands of those.
we should learn to use a normal ruler
what has the US come to we are so lazy
We are not lazy.... we are differently motivated.... /grin
neat!
iWood. iRuler. iWTF.