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With motion-controlled Gyro screwdriver, it's all in the wrist

Messing around with Black & Decker's intuitive, easy-to-use driver is a delight, especially since it looks like a sci-fi prop.

Tim Hornyak
Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
Tim Hornyak
2 min read
Kinect for power tools? The Black & Decker Gyro. Tim Hornyak/CNET

LAS VEGAS--We've seen pistol-shaped screwdrivers before, but Black & Decker's Gyro takes the cake for cool weapon-style tools.

Shown off at CES 2013, Gyro looks like a ray gun and has a cutting-edge feature: it's billed as the world's first motion-activated screwdriver with variable speed and direction.

You grip it like a gun, then push a strip with the base of your thumb to activate the motor and an LED guide light. The more you rotate your wrist to the right, the faster it will turn clockwise.

Rotate it to the left, and it turns counterclockwise. Just rotate more for more speed.

The Gyro comes with two magnetic screwdriver bits and a lithium-ion battery that can hold a charge for up to 18 months, according to Black & Decker.

It's been on the market for about two months at $39.99, and I was keen to get a hands-on experience at CES.

With its comfy ABS housing, the Gyro is very intuitive to handle and use and, of course, doesn't require any adjustments to the tool to change screwing direction or speed.

It feels perfect for "some assembly required" jobs, or working on electronics, toys, and hobby kits with many screws.

It takes about six to eight hours to charge and can handle roughly 30 to 120 screws per charge depending on the material you're working on.

Putting things together with this tool is all in the wrist.