Tantrum Electric Screwdriver from FlipOut

Inventor's Corner: Tantrum Electric Screwdriver from FlipOut

Tool Skool goes to the National Hardware Show every year, and one of the things we like the very best is meeting inventors and seeing what kinds of crazy things they come up with. I'm constantly amazed at how many new and unique things there are. A couple of years ago, I met Joel Townsan who had an idea for an electric screwdriver called the Tantrum. It looked like a great idea, but he was in the prototype stage. Quite honestly, I'd kind of forgotten about it, until a week ago when I got an email from a guy helping his buddy promote his Kickstarter program to make a run of electric screwdrivers from a company called FlipOut.

When I started looking at the material, I realized that it was an updated version of the prototype of the Tantrum I'd seen a couple of years ago. And it's a good idea. Plus, here at Tool Skool, we are all about helping the little guy, the inventor. So let me tell you a little bit about Joel and his invention. And then if you are so moved, you can click the link at the bottom of this article, check it out for yourself and decide if you want to put some money towards his project.

The Inventor:

Joel Townsan is young inventor from Bellingham, WA who came up with the idea for the Tantrum Screwdriver in 2003, after finding himself immeasurably frustrated trying to replace a car door speaker using a conventional electric screwdriver. Joel has a strong background in electronics and robotics, stemming from an early childhood interest in all things mechanical. While pursuing engineering studies, Joel decided to shift course into higher gear, and dedicate himself fully to bringing his invention to life. With the driven passion of a young man whose dreams of becoming a successful inventor were matched only by his determination, Joel has become an accomplished creator. Over the course of the last 9 years, Joel has taught himself CAD design, learned the specifics of modifying gears and mechanical components, and has become a noted expert in product design. After winning 2 US patents by age 29, Townsan's prototype of the Tantrum was awarded the "Cool Idea" award by Proto Labs, along with a grant to help facilitate manufacturing. Townsan is currently pursuing his first production run of the Tantrum via Kickstarter, where you can pre-order the first units that will become available to market.

The Invention:

The Tantrum electric screwdriver has evolved quite a bit. But what does it do? It's a battery powered screwdriver that runs off of a 7.2V Lithium Ion battery pack. The head of the screwdriver "flips" or transforms to all kinds of different positions so that you can use the screwdriver in tight spaces. Check out some of the pictures below and it you feel like helping Joel get his project funded so he can take his idea into production just check out his Kickstarter Page.