Hozo Design Neoruler

The NeoRuler takes something as ordinary as a ruler and gives it a digital upgrade. It is aimed mainly at architects, designers, engineers and model makers, but anyone who regularly works from plans or scale drawings will quickly see the appeal.

Rather than relying on printed markings, measurements appear on a 1.14 inch colour, backlit LCD screen. Accuracy is rated at ±0.1mm across its 305mm measuring range, while the sliding marker lets you choose almost any point as your starting position. You can switch between metric and imperial measurements without doing the conversion yourself, which saves a fair bit of mental arithmetic.

Where the NeoRuler really earns its keep is with scale drawings. There are 93 scales built in, including common architectural and engineering options, along with the ability to create custom scales for unusual or incorrectly printed plans. It can work anywhere from 100,000 to 1 down to 1 to 100,000, which gives it far more flexibility than a traditional scale ruler.

The space divider allows you to choose anywhere between two and twelve sections and LEDs along the ruler guide you to the correct positions. It is a simple idea, but genuinely handy when marking equal spacing not to mention weirdly satisfying to use. Measurements can also be sent to the MEAZOR app, where they can be recorded and exported in formats including Excel, text, PDF, JPG and DXF.

The screen and lights are powered comes from a 1000mAh rechargeable battery, offering around 12 hours of continuous use and up to 45 days on standby. The ruler itself measures 330 x 43 x 10mm, so it remains fairly slim despite all the electronics.

The NeoRuler is undeniably more complicated than a piece of aluminium with numbers printed on it, but for regular scale work it removes a surprising amount of faff, a genuinely clever desk tool. RRP £89.10

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