The lack of a convenient curve measuring device in today’s market provided the motivation for developing the pocketRULER, a compact measuring device that not only had the capability of measuring straight lines, but also be able to measure curves and complex geometries for longer distances (at least a foot). The initial concept was inspired by a tooled called a surveyor’s wheel, which is used to measure on the scale of hundreds of feet. This devices uses a wheel that rolls along a surface and by counting the revolutions of the wheel, the distance travelled can be determined. However, in order to measure longer distances while in a smaller and more compact device, a gear train was implemented to compactly keep track of distance measured.