Designer Sunghoon Jung of South Korea has devised a combined tape measure and pair of compasses.
The retractable ruler has holes along its length and a pin at the entrance to the case so it can be fixed to the surface, while a pencil slotted in the other end draws a circle.
There's also a slot down one side of the tape for drawing straight lines. "If you try to draw a line on a tape measure, you are likely to slip the line because the measure tape is not tightly fixed on the desk," says Sunghoon Jung.
The project was entered for the iF design awards, which are open for submissions until 19 September.
Finally! Where can we buy it?
You don’t really need holes along the length, only one at 0cm, otherwise a great idea. I could have done with one of these at the weekend. I wonder if a point made of Sugru and stuck under the tape measure would help me make one for myself…
As Sarah says, a single hole at 0cm should have done the trick.
I also wonder about the durability of the tape with a slot running along the entire length.
As with most things, it’s already been done:
http://www.fine-tools.com/G303661.htm
Festool make a tape measure that made it beyond a CAD visual to exist in the real world some years ago: http://www.festool.co.uk/Products/Accessories/Pag…
If you draw a line using a tape measure it’s liable to slip because it’s not a ruler.
I would like to know how does the slim portion of the tape behaves at longer distances.
I am wondering what would anyone do with a 30m tape? That means that the tape box would be the same diameter like a basketball.