This device is so cool-looking, I almost don't care what it actually is.

But I'll explain. If you're an industrial designer, when you hear "deflectometer" you probably picture the machine that tests how far a material will deflect; you may have seen one in a chair factory. However, to civil engineers, a deflectometer is an object you tow on a trailer. This type of deflectometer is filled with weights and sensors, and fancy software lets it evaluate, inch by inch, the road surface it's traveling over. They look like this:

Danish engineering startup Measure invented a new deflectometer technology that uses lasers rather than weights. They reckon their solution is more accurate and requires less adjustments and recalibrations than the incumbent design. To turn their tech into a physical product, they turned to Eskild Hansen Design Studio, an ID consultancy.

"Based in Denmark like us, we designed Measure's first product. The Measure Deflectometer is the world-first self-contained deflectometer and can be installed in any vehicle to provide high-resolution deflection measurements. This piece of equipment helps to understand structural condition of the roads, ending up being critical while deciding how to best maintain or repair road network."

"As this was Measure's first product, we aimed for the design to make a bold statement and embody their innovative spirit."

"Drawing inspiration from consumer electronics, we crafted a sleek profile using sheet metal to evoke an industrial aesthetic while maintaining a modern and approachable feel."

"Designed for a fast and limited production, the Measure Deflectometer has been manufactured locally. A complex and thrilling exercise combining modern shapes, simple assembling and low-cost tooling."

"The Measure Deflectometer was meticulously designed with manufacturability as a top priority. We opted for low-volume production methods such as CNC machining, sheet metal bending, vacuum forming and 3D printing."

"Despite this, the final result is uncompromising; it looks and feels like a product produced in mass quantities."

Check out more of Eskild Hansen Design Studio's work here.