Less than a year ago we told you about the Tiroler, a titanium ring that's a rather clever alternative to the boring ol' tape measure. Well, its makers are back with a new take on the concept, which also performs calculations.
Known as the Mini Titanium Curve Measure Slide Rule (we'll just call it the Mini), the new device is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Both it and the Tiroler are made by Japanese company Titaner, which previously brought us a miniature adjustable spanner wrench and a little folding knife that can be opened with one hand.
The discus-shaped Mini consists of an outer ring with a smaller inner ring nested inside of it. Both rings are laser-engraved with ruler-style numeric markings, and can rotate independent of one another – that means you can hold the inner ring in place while rotating the outer ring around it.
Buyers are able to choose between metric and imperial versions of the device. The metric model has a circumference of 10 cm, while the larger imperial model has a circumference of five inches.
When you want to measure something, you start by aligning the 0 markings on both rings with one another. Next, you place the Mini at the beginning of the surface to be measured, holding it upright like a wheel.
You then just roll it along that surface, which can be curved or otherwise not-so-straight and/or not-so-flat. As you do so, the inner ring stays pinched between your finger and thumb, with the outer wheel doing all the rotating – it makes a satisfying snicking sound as it does so.
At the end of every full revolution of the outer ring, an integrated spring-loaded ceramic bead produces an audible, tactile click. You count those clicks in your head, as each one represents either 10 cm or five inches (depending on the model). When you get to the end of the surface being measured, you make a note of which numeric marking on the outer ring lines up with the 0 on the inner ring.
Using the metric model as an example, you then multiply the number of clicks by 10, then add the number that lines up with the inner ring's 0. So if the Mini made five clicks and ended up with 6.2 (numeral 6 and two tick marks) lined up with the 0, the measured distance would be 56.2 cm, or 562 mm.
As we mentioned earlier, the device can additionally be used to perform simple calculations. In a feat of engineering that we won't even try to understand, the two rings together form a circular slide rule that performs addition on one side of the Mini, and multiplication on the other.
It should be noted that because of its small size (which limits the room available for numeric markings) the Mini can only manage pretty basic math – stuff like 2 x 3 = 6. Most people can easily do that sort of thing in their head, so the slide rule function is more of a novelty than an actual practical tool. It's still pretty neat, though.
Buyers of the metric Mini can choose between an all-titanium model and one with a titanium outer ring and a copper inner ring. Buyers of the imperial Mini are stuck with all-titanium. Kickstarter pledges run from US$49 for the metric ti/copper model (planned retail $98) up to $65 for the imperial ti (retail $130). If everything works out, they should ship in November.
The Mini Titanium Curve Measure Slide Rule is demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter
