Architects, carpenters and other design and construction professionals often carry measuring tape wherever they go, but this small wheel makes for a much less bulky companion tool.

Measuring trundle wheels used to determine distances by rolling on a surface are not new, but they are big, and this design miniaturizes their function while maintaining a critical advantage: it can measure up to effectively any length as long as its operator keeps track of the number of spins.

The Rollbe comes in various sizes, but at its smallest it is just a few inches in circumference (around an inch in diameter), making it fit like a coin and easy to carry on the go. It also comes with a pouch, turning it into a keyring.

Thanks to the curved design and rolling function, it can measure not just flat but also curving and irregular surfaces, an advantage over a traditional measuring tape. The device also clicks with each rotation, making it easier to track the number of turns.

Designed by The Work of Mind, a Canadian company, the idea came from an unlikely direction — it wasn’t an attempt to figure out measuring, but to find new uses for coin-sized options. Numerals and markings are etched into the stainless steel using laser engraving to prevent fading over time. A larger version is also available — less portable, but a nice thing to pack in one’s kit of tools.

Airless, puncture-proof and compacting down to a 9-inch-wide package, the Revolve wheel makes it way easier to transport and store both bicycles and wheelchairs than ever before. Aiming to be the world’s first modular wheel, this design enables you to open and close the wheel in a single motion, lock and unlock its position, and carry it around with ease. Designed by Andrea Mocellin, the six-pointed design is ideal for urban cyclists, and could play a pivotal role in the folding bikes of the future.

With this design, there will be no more frustrating, greasy tire-changing pit-stops on the road, and keeping your bike more secure by toting the front wheel along with you is easier than ever. It’s designed to easily store in a backpack, inside a vehicle or in the overhead baggage hold on an airplane, and it’s compatible with most bikes and wheelchairs. When fully expanded, it’s the universal wheel size of 665mm.

As an example, the designer presents a folding body concept that can be used in conjunction with the Revolve Wheel, folded up into a compact trolley or unfolded into a scooter with space for carrying bulky or heavy items.

Mocellin also envisions it working for a surprising third use: “A total new experience can be evolve with the integration of Revolve. Robotics, land drones can easily be more usable thanks to large wheels and more possibility to approach all terrain.

More than ten physical prototypes have been made, a patent is pending and it’s been tested on both bicycles and wheelchairs, so this is more than just another digital concept. No news yet on commercial availability, but it will be interesting to see where the Revolve goes in the future.

Light, small and surprisingly fast, this single-wheeled cycle is designed to let you zip around cities, then stop and pick it up like a suitcase when you arrive at your destination – a sweet last-mile solution for urban commuters and travelers.

The Urban Glider uses a gyroscopically-stabilized electric mono-wheel to help you stay upright as you stand on footplates straddling the sides of a central 16-inch wheel.

Leaning back lets you slow, stop or reverse while leaning forward engages the engine in that direction, and tilting to either side allows you to turn using intuitive movements.

The convenient size of the device means you don’t have to worry about parking or locking up your car, scooter or bike. And unlike other small-scale solutions, you also do not need to switch out blades or skates for shoes between uses.

Hopping from the glider to other transit is also simple, since you can carry the 24-pound vehicle onto buses, trains or planes.

With a top speed of around 13 miles per hour you won’t be breaking any records for velocity, but can get places much faster than you would be able to on foot.

The battery is designed to last for up to 6 hours of use and can be charged in last than 30 minutes. Currently, crowdfunding on Kickstarter is paused but the company seems adamant about making a go of this personal vehicle one way or another. The Urban Glider is set to retail for $1200 – expensive on some metrics, perhaps, but fairly cheap as short-distance electric transit goes.

Few folding bikes can boast such compact proportions (even when fully collapsed) as this umbrella-sized wonder you can sling at your side or slide into your shoulder bag.

The Sada Bike bends the basic assumptions of bicycle design, but not in the same fashion as small-bike solutions. Instead of reducing the size of essential elements, which creates an awkward riding experience, Sada trades a rigid chassis and support-providing spokes for a jointed lightweight frame and reinforced rims that require less material.

Experienced engineers will note their solution is not without its own unsolved questions, including the impact of putting weight along the edges of empty (even if rigid) wheel frames.

Still, it is a start – while their may be balance and durability issues yet to address, the concept calls into question the premises behind existing standard, miniature and foldable bikes and pushes the potential limits of urban portability.

In critique of other existing approaches, Sada’s creators note: “They have a small frame and wheels at the expense of stability, for the sake of compactness and portability during transport. The minimum size of the frame, in fact, penalizes the rider position while driving and the small size of the wheels significantly are affected by variations in terrain. On the other hand, the traditional bicycles, avoid these problems, but the rigid chassis makes them inflexible during transport on public transport.”

Like a hypnotist’s pendulum, this fifteen minute visual experience will charm you with its rich variety of mesmerizing patterns, all drawn by hand before your eyes.

An amazingly meditative trip, this work by Mikhail Sadovnikov is entirely dynamic and temporary. Each addition necessarily involves subtraction as new shapes continuously erase and overwrite what you see.

Using the clay residue left on the wheel between throwing pots, the artist moves between a series of sequences set to music of various styles and speeds.

Sometimes symmetrical, other times abstract but always contained in a simple circle, the pacing and control are amazing – but you really have to watch the video to see for yourself and witness where sand mandala making meets fluid finger painting.