Lucy Rogers
COLUMN SPARK
e have probably all
seen the photo of
what a smartphone
replaces, compared
to 1980s technology- stills camera,
video camera, audio recorder, calendar,
diary, phone, TV, radio, etc.
But I had never really thought about it
replacing items in my tool-box. Until I
saw people tweeting about a multimeter
that you could plug into a smartphone - and then the better idea (especially if
you’re measuring high voltages etc.): a
Bluetooth multimeter. We all carry our
phones around with us, so why not let it
be the brain of our tools?
When I first got an iPhone, I was
mesmerised by the spirit-level, ruler, and
compass apps – although back in those
early days I did struggle with actually
getting the compass to point in the
correct direction. However, I have never
used them instead of ‘analogue’ tools. It
never crossed my mind until after I’d got
a spirit-level out that I could have used
the phone.
But now my interest has been piqued,
I’ve started investigating phone tools (it’s
quite difficult to search online for – the
results include a lot of tool-kits for
dismantling a phone).
Probably one of the most useful is the
‘lone worker’ or ‘man down’ safety
monitoring application that allows
employees (and I assume friends/family)
to quickly request aid when working on
their own, and no one else is around to
call for help. Some of these include a
panic button or a hands-free trigger, such
as a tether that just needs to be pulled
from the headphone jack, so a request for
help can be sent without having to
unlock the phone.
Something else I’d not come across,
and not something I need but I can see
their advantage when having a lot of
tools on-site, is Bluetooth-enabled power
tools. The Bluetooth is used for
monitoring where each tool is on-site
and how much battery life is left. Some
even support wireless charging.
You can also get items that
either plug into your phone, or that
wirelessly connect:- Thermal imaging/infrared sensors
- Moisture and humidity meters
- Inspection scopes
- Stud finders
- Clamp and infrared thermometers
- Thermal and vane anemometers
- Laser distance measurers
- Differential pressure meters
You can also use your phone to measure- up to certain limits – audio power or
noise levels, vibration, and magnetic flux.
Then there are augmented reality apps
that calculate slope, distance, and height.
And of course, there’s always the torch!
Combined with all these, you can get
phones and cases that are waterproof
and even MIL-spec rugged – so they can
withstand drops, and extremes in
temperature and barometric pressure.
Still, I doubt it will ever replace
my hammer.
Mobile multitool
Every tool’s (not) a hammer
W
Lucy Rogers
@DrLucyRogersLucy is a maker, an engineer,
and a problem-solver. She is
adept at bringing ideas to life.
She is one of the cheerleaders
for the maker industry, and is
Maker-in-Chief for the Guild
of Makers: guildofmakers.org