At DEVElOP3D we’re people of action: seeking out new challenges, accomplishing gruelling tasks, and occasionally doing some household chores, which is why we like the Switch multi-tool.
Currently on Quirky, one of our most visited social design sites, it’s been developed to allow users to mix and match different tools to create their own personalised pocketknife solution.
With 18 different tool and blade attachments, three interior axle assemblies, two exterior body covers, and two slotted caps to hold it together, the owner can adjust the width of the tool, or catergorise the attachments into useful groups such as ‘office’, ‘garden’, or ‘fending off tigers’.
What makes it more special is that it was brought into reality using some slick prototyping skills. Star Prototype, a company that’s Chinese based with British management, produced a working prototype version in 13 days from the designs it was given – making its overall development a mere one month project.
It machined the outer case of the Switch prototype from 304 stainless steel cut on a CNC machine, and the blades and tools were made out of 400 series stainless iron.
The parts were hand polished and painted in-house before being assembled to produce a fully functional class ‘A’ visual model.
It’s a lovely looking bit of kit, and should we ever see one, will get us through a summer of ‘outdoor pursuits’ (bottle-opener function: critical).
