For tradespeople and small businesses, accurately mapping a project space has historically been a time-consuming and complicated process. It can also leave plenty of room for mistakes, often at a cost to you and your company.
Moasure is billed as the world’s first movement-based measuring tool, removing the need for pencil and graph-paper calculations, error-prone manual readings, or flimsy tape measures. Simply hook the device up to a smartphone app and you can have accurate, 3D models of a space mapped out in the time it takes you to walk the perimeter.
Being able to work out the materials and labor needed for a job, not to mention providing accurate quotes to customers, hinges upon your ability to get precise measurements of complex areas. The quicker and more precise you can be, the more efficient your operation can run.
Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at this patented piece of kit, to see how it works and how it might save you and your business time and money.
What is Moasure and who is it designed for?
Moasure, a UK based company, started out in 2014 with a popular smartphone app designed for the landscaping and construction industries. This app utilized motion sensor technology already present in phones to allow workers to carry out distance measurements without the need for a tape measure or rule.
However, the company’s more recent offering bills itself as being far more precise than their previous app-only service. With the Moasure ONE, the company have developed a separate high-end, hand-held device using patented motion-sensor technology that can be used to map out outdoor or indoor spaces.
The device and accompanying software have been built with gardeners, landscapers, lawn maintenance professionals, builders, and interior designers in mind. Anyone who may need to swiftly but accurately get the layout of a project area, either inside or outside a property, can use the Moasure ONE to measure perimeters, angles, and distances between points in three dimensional space.
This gives businesses fast, professional-looking blueprints which can then be used for further design or planning. It also helps you draw up accurate quotes based on the dimensions and size of an area.
How does Moasure work?
Rather than relying solely on inertial sensors, which leave room for error, the Moasure ONE uses a combination of gyros, magnetometers and accelerometers to know exactly where it is in three dimensional space.
The device can then broadcast its movement or its position back to the app, allowing you to quickly build detailed blueprints of a space in real time. Using a simple, intuitive interface, you can have the device trace your movement or register fixed points that can then be used to draw up a plan, which will appear on your smartphone screen as it’s being built.
Once the outline has been drawn, you can either look at and edit it in the app or have it exported as a PDF, image, CSV or DXF file to third-party software. These files are compatible with a wide range of popular CAD programmes, including AutoCAD.
The fact that the Moasure ONE can deal with three dimensional space means that it also measures relative elevation as well as single plane lines. The app allows you to measure the relative distances, angles, and positioning of any two points, as well as giving you freedom to edit, draw, and re-shape the mapped out space by hand if necessary.
Multiple areas can be mapped as part of the same overall blueprint, with their positioning fixed in relation to each other. This means that garden designers can measure separate beds, features, or lawn spaces and have them appear as part of the same overall plan, perfectly proportioned.
The hand-held device is designed to be durable, with waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof conditioning. It connects to your smartphone via bluetooth, rather than relying on satellite signals, wi-fi, or other potentially fragmentary connections.
What are the advantages of Moasure?
Moasure ONE has already garnered a swathe of positive reviews from enthusiastic professionals. Many talk of its surprisingly high levels of accuracy and the swiftness with which it can be used to map out a space. The company have also won a range of innovation and business awards for their product.
The fact that Moasure ONE relies on bluetooth and movement sensors rather than GPS and other technology improves both its location-based accuracy and its connectivity. You don’t have to rely on wi-fi or phone signal for it to sync with your phone, meaning it can be used for underground projects as well as projects in areas with patchy reception.
You can circumnavigate obstacles that would otherwise make measuring hard, such as trees, walls, or heavy fixtures, simply by walking around the obstacle and allowing Moasure to determine two fixed points. There are also functions helping you to accurately map circular structures and curved lines.
All in all, the time saved on having to map out spaces using traditional manual methods like tape measures, paper calculations, or laser-based measurement systems requiring some level of set up, can be dramatically reduced by Moasure.
What are the disadvantages of Moasure?
In terms of being able to provide accurate spacial estimates for indoor and outdoor projects, there are few clear disadvantages to Moasure’s patented technology.
Moasure ONE is advertised as providing single line measurements to within 0.5% accuracy. This means that a 200 foot length should be measured to within a single foot. Area calculations are advertised as being within 2%, which means a 100 square foot area should be measured to within 2 square feet. This is hugely impressive for a device that simply sits in the palm of your hand and traces movement, but for the specific fitting of fixtures, installations, or products that require centimeter or millimeter accuracy, you may find you need to rely on more precise methods.
Although there do not appear to be any hidden subscription costs or ongoing payments required to use Moasure ONE, the cost of a single device being almost $500 means kitting out an entire team with the technology could prove expensive. For small businesses, arming their workers with simple tape measures is likely to be more affordable in the short term.
The telescopic stick seen in many Moasure ONE demo videos, a product that makes using the device a far more comfortable experience, is not included in the price. Moasure currently sell this for an additional $75.
What alternatives are there to Moasure?
Moasure claim to be using patented technology in their device, which means there shouldn’t be any other products on the market that use the exact same methods to measure space and distance.
Other measuring techniques for indoor and outdoor spaces may rely on straight-line laser technology, GPS tracking, or manual methods such as tape measures and string. The latter can be time consuming and prone to human error.
Technology that relies on satellite positioning can be even faster than Moasure, but often at the expense of accuracy. For more accurate estimates and for three dimensional space, the Moasure ONE is likely to come out on top.
How much does Moasure cost?
Moasure currently advertise their flagship Moasure ONE device at $499 pre-tax. There are no hidden fees or ongoing subscription charges and full use of the smartphone app is included in the price.
The company also offer a 60 day money back guarantee, providing you can return the device in pristine, sellable condition with its original packaging. The company recognise that you’ll need to use it a few times to get a feel for it, but are willing to take it back as long as you don’t leave any marks of use that would preclude them from reselling.
The Moasure telescopic stick, a useful, ergonomic tool that makes it easier to walk around with and position the Moasure ONE, costs an additional $75.