Tools

Archaeologists have found ancient tools at a dig site in Mongolia, indicating that humans were on the scene about 45,000 years ago, which is much earlier than current evidence suggests. There’s also a chance that the site is one spot where our ancestors mingled with the mysterious Denisovans.

​Of all the shapes and sizes that multitools come in these days, the form of a credit card is a highly practical one. The latest example comes from accessory maker Disc, which has taken to Kickstarter with a sleek sheet of titanium that packs more than 21 tools into a wallet-friendly frame.

Robot arms are getting smarter and smarter all the time, and now a team from Georgia Tech has taught them how to make their own tools. These resourceful robots are first taught to match form and function, then let loose on a series of everyday objects to build what they need to complete a given job.

You don't really need a shovel until you REALLY need a shovel. DMOS presents a way of having that shovel without dedicating too much space to it. Its near-unbreakable Delta Shovel telescopes, folds and clasps to the vehicle, expanding into a full-size shovel when needed.

Ever receive a package and have nothing sharper than the keys in your pocket with which to open it? The Microblade Pill ensures you never experience that again. A different style of EDC, this mini tool won't filet fish or cut branches, but it will slice through packing tape and halve actual pills.

​Leatherman has began building out its Free collection of magnetic multitools with a pair of cheaper, lighter and simplified offerings, the T2 and the T4 that seriously undercuts others in the range both in price and weight.

A British engineer with a long career in electric vehicles and hovercraft has created the KwikPro system, which he hopes will revolutionize the way tradespeople work, and get around.​ The 10-piece array of trade-worthy tools fits into just one case, because the motor is in the handle, not the head.​

A London-based design team has combined a love of engineering, drawing and cameras to create one of the most elegant tools for drawing circles seen to date. Dubbed "Iris," this ingenious compass is part objet d’art, part engineering wonder, and part Spirograph for grown-ups.

​Bubble-type levels have been around for hundreds of years, and even digital models with LCD numerical displays aren't exactly new. A group of Montreal-based entrepreneurs have come up with something a little different, though, in the form of the LED-packin' LumiLevel.

​Different tasks require different types of screwdrivers. If you don't want to buy all of those types, though, you might be interested in Mininch's Spinner Drive – it's described as the one screwdriver to rule them all.

The small steel Prylobite blade weighs no more than a handful of coins and packs up neatly thanks to a friction folding design, which incorporates a couple of handy innovations to take this utensil into multi-tool territory. ​

​Working toward the shape and size of a credit card is proving a popular pathway for designers of multitools and knives. The Distinct from New York’s Chiseled Design is one that packs in quite a bit of punch, with more than 30 different functions on offer from the one slimline package.