Afraid of Power Tools? What If You Could Control Them With Your Phone?
Hold the phone! Power tools might have just become a WHOLE lot less scary to use. That’s right, as with everything else you can control with an app these days, the Handibot aims to be the world’s first “smart digital power tool.” Your garage just got cooler.
Created by notable power tools brand, Shopbot, this gizmo is a digitally-controlled power tool that can be used for cutting, drilling, carving, and other machining operations. As mentioned, you can use the related app to control nearly everything about the device. Here’s the extra geeky part: developers can even utilize the Handibot’s open source code to create new apps that perform custom functions. So, while you’ll be able to use it for a lot of basic creativity now, as time goes on, it will have even more functionality! Plus, did we mention you can CONTROL IT WITH YOUR PHONE?? Sorry, we’re just really excited about this.
In some ways, this is basically the inverse of a 3D printer: it’s a 3D cutter! It can even cut aluminum Instead of adding materials on to form a shape, this tool cuts away to create the project. This thing can help you create almost anything, from custom wooden furniture to metal tech accessories and much more. No joke, you can even engrave clip art into your materials with this tool. What!?
The Handibot is designed to be uber-portable, meaning that instead of bringing the material to the machine, you can bring the machine to the material, so you can work wherever you want and can maneuver easily around a big project, whether it’s in your garage, your front yard, or around your home.
This Kickstarter campaign is already fully funded and still has 29 days to go (proof we’re not lying about it’s awesomeness), so you still have time to secure yours! While the Handibot itself is pretty pricey (you can get one for a $2400 pledge), it won’t take long for the price to drop steeply. Once it hits the market, competitive brands will all likely adapt and begin price wars that will lower the amount of dough you have to shell out. I’m dreaming of the day I can pick up one of these for under $200!
Is the Handibot a good thing for the power tools market? Does it make working with wood and other large materials less scary to you? Talk to us in the comments below or join the conversation on Twitter.