Calipers
The caliper is a precision measuring instrument that was the result of the creation of calipers invented in the 16th/17th century, whose inventors were Pedro Nunes (Portugal), responsible for numerical logic, and Pierre Vernier (France), responsible for mechanical logic. Calipers are widely used by engineering and design professionals. They are notable for having industrial-level precision in their measurements and in how they are presented. The units of measurement used in the type of caliper mentioned are millimeters (mm) and inches (in).
The problem of parallax
Parallax occurs due to a construction feature of the calipers on the market that causes the reading of verniers to be incorrect if taken with the instrument tilted.
A family of calipers was developed with the main objective of solving a problem related to the act of measuring made by users. The problem consists of a recurring phenomenon called parallax. Parallax occurs due to a construction feature of the analog calipers on the market that causes the reading of verniers to be incorrect if taken with the instrument tilted. For example, a common caliper can provide measurements with a discrepancy of approximately 0.15 mm from the real measurement of the objects when considering the measurement with the tilted point of view.
Result: Thinner, parallax-free caliper with formal bio-inspiration
In order to solve the parallax problem, a construction logic was developed for the instrument that would allow for a considerable attenuation of this problem, so that the main ruler and verniers could be assembled in such a way that, even when using the instrument at an angle, the measurement result would be correct. To this end, the entire construction was based on overlapping plates that allowed for a flat and parallel assembly between the verniers and the main ruler, eliminating the possibility of parallax due to the component's inclination. In addition, the components that have numerical information were developed in translucent material and with mirrored laser engraving to ensure that the numbers would not be shaded, increasing the optical precision of the instrument. The overlapping of plates allowed the final depth of the calipers to reach 6 mm, while those currently on the market have between 8 mm and 12 mm.
Regarding the aesthetic approach, the formal choice was based on biomimetics, a type of methodology that takes into account formal or functional characteristics of nature to design an idea or object. In this case, formal biomimetics was used. The reference related to nature for this project was the study of three beetle specimens, namely: Dynastes hercules, Family Scarabaeidae - Subfamily Dynastinae; Odontolabis femoralis, Family Lucanidae; Macrodontia crenata, Family Prioninae - Subfamily Cerambycidae. Formal characteristics of the beetles that could be conceptually related to the generated caliper models were taken into consideration.
All calipers are designed to be manufactured by laser or water cutting and assembled only with precision pin plates.
Alternative material
2019 // MUMO Museum exhibition
Sketching
