Scorpio Pocket Knife
Mechanical ideation & sketching
Multi-stage prototyping
CAD modeling mechanical part
CNC machining & metalworking
Mechanism design & fabrication
Description
A pocket knife designed around an innovative out-the-top opening mechanism, inspired by the stinger movement of a scorpion. Built through multiple rounds of prototyping; from cardboard, to 3D prints, to a final machined aluminum and hand-ground steel knife.
May 2024
Date
Project Brief
The challenge was to design a product with a unique transforming mechanism. I chose a pocket knife, and wanted to explore unconventional blade deployment.
PROBLEM
How might we design a pocket knife with an innovative opening mechanism?
Moodboard & Inspiration
Explored industrial, machined metal aesthetics to establish the visual and material direction for the knife. References included precision hardware, architectural metalwork, and existing utility and tactical knife designs to ground the aesthetic in the world of functional tools.
Mechanism Ideation
Sketched a wide range of opening mechanisms, blade shapes, and folding arm configurations to identify the most promising direction. This phase was deliberately broad, exploring everything from scissor-arm linkages to out-the-front and out-the-top deployment systems before narrowing focus.
Prototypes
Built two cardboard prototypes to validate the core mechanism early and cheaply. Each revealed distinct insights, with the first exposed ergonomic problems with exterior arm linkages, while the second confirmed that a trigger-based system was the right direction, but needed a larger body to house a useful blade.
Iterated through two rounds of 3D-printed prototypes to refine the trigger, arm stability, ergonomics, and closing mechanism before committing to final materials. Key improvements included adding a second stabilizing arm, an ergonomic thumb cutout, and a redesigned closing mechanism that eliminated the need to flip the knife shut.
Final Product
The finished knife features a CNC-milled aluminum body and a hand-ground tanto-style steel blade, assembled from 12 precision components. The out-the-top deployment mechanism mirrors the stinger motion of a scorpion, giving the knife both its name and its defining character.
