We take it for granted that you can look at your phone and tell exactly where you are. At least, as exact as the GPS satellites will allow. But throughout human history, there has been a tremendous desire to know where here is, exactly. Where does my farm end and yours start? Where is the border of my city or country? Suppose you have a flagpole directly in the center of town and a clock tower at the edge of town. You know where they are precisely on a map. You also know how tall they are. What you need is a theodolite, which is an instrument that measures angles very precisely.
Here at Hackaday we’re neither estate agents or in the want-ads business, so we’re unaccustomed to property promotion. We’re still not immune to the attraction of a portable makerspace to take to events though, and this one provides a very practical basis. It started life as what Brits call a Luton van body, a box van, and inside it’s gained a small kitchen, benches and shelves either side, and up in the space over the cab, a double bed. Sadly the laser cutter and 3D printers aren’t included.
