If you’ve got a task around the house that needs attention, then you might join millions of UK homeowners and do it yourself. This means investing in a few choice pieces of equipment. Over the years, the technology available to DIY-ers has shifted considerably. This has made it easier to get certain jobs done, and even created entirely new categories of professions.
Power tools have only been around for a few decades, with the first examples hitting the market in the late 19th century, and only really becoming accessible to the average homeowner in the latter half of the 20th.
The first cordless tool came courtesy of Black and Decker in the 1960s. That tool used a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery. Today, things have moved on considerably with lithium-ion batteries becoming more powerful each year.
Landscaping
Getting the job done in the garden is easier than ever, thanks to an increasingly sophisticated suite of tools. Cordless hedge trimmers allow us to make short work of hedgerows, even if they’re hundreds of metres away from any wall outlet. The same applies to cordless lawnmowers – which don’t run the risk of shredding their own cable. Self-powered lawnmowers are much quicker to operate and can propel themselves through even the tougher areas of the garden.
Construction
The building trade nowadays puts a heavy emphasis on sustainability – and this extends to DIY tools, too. Power tools are doing away with their cables, resulting in a working environment that’s cleaner, safer, more approachable, and which inflicts less noise on your home and those that surround it.
A business that sells equipment of this type is sure to make itself greener, and more likely to find itself on the right side of any future legislation. Cordless electric tools also offer technical advantages, too; they offer instant torque, rather than having to wait for a motor to spin up. In some cases, this has to be tempered. ‘Soft start’ power on devices like mitre saws helps to make them safer.
Engineering
The advent of cloud computing and AI technologies means that data can be collected on how effective certain tools and practices are. CAD designs can be exchanged much more quickly over the internet, which means more rapid prototyping. There’s also the influence of sophisticated robotics on the manufacturing process, and the logistical improvements that come from being able to track a fleet.
Agriculture
Farmers benefit from GPS in their tractors – and they might soon benefit from tractors that can actually drive themselves. This kind of guidance can improve the amount yielded, and helps to eliminate waste. The same technology can also be used to map the fertility of a given plot and distribute fertiliser accordingly. This, along with a range of other technologies, is brought together under the umbrella term ‘smart farming’, which uses data and technology to better quantify and improve farming practices.
