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Engineering for Its Own Sake: A Pen That Folds Into a Credit Card

Hancept's Zero Mk2 is, unsurprisingly, killing it on Kickstarter

By Rain Noe - March 26

in Object Culture | Crowdfunding

In some sense this object is the opposite of good industrial design, where you're trying to do more with less. This Zero Mk2, seemingly created by engineers for the sake of engineering, is a pen that folds into a credit card form factor.

Whatever world this creates convenience in, is not a world I want to live in. The object is admittedly nifty, though obscene from a manufacturing standpoint; it consists of no less than 54 precision-made parts. The startup behind it, Hancept, announces this number as if it's an accomplishment in its own right.

I can't picture the situation where carrying a conventional pen is impossible and this thing saves the day. But we're living in a time where people are running out of things to spend money on, and this $170 object will apparently fill some void.

At press time this had been successfully Kickstarted with over $80,000 in pledges and 39 days left in the campaign.

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Roger ak

2 days ago

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Complexity for the sake of complexity. A $170 item that can replace a stick pen costing a dime.
I would say that this is perfect for the EDC crowd but most of them have already gone to minimalist wallets already.

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valentin bouleau

3 days ago

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"It drives us to reach that true ideal innovation"... The nerves on those guys
I guess their "ideal innovations" are the ones that make money, without any regards for usefulness

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