Instrumments 01

Pen tool doesn’t quite measure up

The measuring tape is surely one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Simply by marking evenly spaced lines on a length of cloth or metal, we can tell precisely how big things are. And all for under a fiver.

So obviously what the world’s been waiting for is a digital one that costs 150 quid. The Instrumments 01 measuring pen was crowdfunded on Indiegogo, is sold only by Selfridges, and has a name with two capital letters in the middle. Short of it falling off the back of a yellow Reliant Robin in the middle of Peckham it’s hard to see how it could look dodgier.

We have to admit, though, it’s actually quite nice. Made of steel and aluminium, it feels as expensive as it is. It’s just an ordinary ballpoint until you connect it, via Bluetooth, to a neatly designed app on your Apple or Android phone or tablet. You then roll the other end of the pen sideways across whatever you want to measure. If it’s a person, some giggling will ensue.

Measurements are accurate to a tenth of a millimetre – in theory. To keep the roller in perfect contact with the surface, you’ll need to go quite slowly and carefully. And it measures the wobbly line you actually roll along, not the straight line you meant, which can add a few extra millimetres. You can’t pull it tight like a measuring tape.

Unlike a measuring tape, the Instrumments 01 can also measure in 3D, creating lines in space that you can load into a CAD program to recreate solid objects. Amazing! At least, that was the plan. Recently, the makers admitted this was a bit harder than they thought, and the extra-cost Pro app that enables it is still in development.

Still, regular measuring does work quite well… until the batteries run out. Estimated to last six months, they’re not rechargeable. Nor are they standard. You have to order a new set from Instrumments in America, at £29. As they say on Dragons’ Den: we’re out.

Draw to measure, but you need a steady hand and replacing the battery isn’t cheap or easy