Ingenious Power Tool Uses Machine Vision to Make Perfect Cuts

Peek into any of the commercial garages dotting San Francisco's Mission District and you'll find a mix of auto body shops and startups working on gleaming black-and-silver gizmos. On an intensely sunny afternoon in April, Shaper's staff rolled up its garage door to reveal a cluster of workbenches--all made by Shaper's handheld woodcutting tool, Origin, which goes on sale today. You may not think of yourself as a woodworker, but the founders of Shaper can change that. The tool is built to take the mystery--and most of the skill--out of cutting even complex shapes from a piece of wood. Grab Origin by the handles, place it on a piece of wood, and start tracing along the edges of the shape on Origin's touchscreen.