30 Unusual Tools Designed To Solve Problems That Many Of Us Have Never Even Thought Of (New Pics)

Most of these tools are interesting because they’re very rare. Or, rather, only people in very specific fields get to see and use them on a regular basis. For the rest of us, it’s like a visit to a museum full of (slightly alien) artifacts.

However, you could probably argue that every single profession demands that people use specialized tools (or, in this day and age, software, too). When you sit down and have a good long think, you might realize that you do a lot of things every day that most people have no clue about. You, on the other hand, are so used to it all that you barely notice it. We’re all experts in our own little fields. And our tools are unlike anyone else’s. 

The r/specializedtools subreddit is massively popular. Created in mid-February of 2015, it has grown a lot in the nearly-8 years since its founding. At the time of writing, the community was home to nearly 1.6 million redditors.

The unusual photos are probably what draws people in. After all, it’s hard to resist finding out the story behind some mysterious object that comes across our internet feeds. It’s like a splinter in your mind: you have to figure out what it is, what it does, and why it looks like it does. Curiosity is a very human emotion—and it’s a difficult beast to control.

The team of moderators who run the whole show has a small list of rules that the community members should follow. You would think that people would only post specialized tools on a subreddit that’s called r/specializedtools. Alas! That’s not the case. Some folks either post pics without any tools or share photos of tools that aren’t specialized.

However, tools don’t have to have just a single purpose. You should be fine as long as you don’t post something generic like a computer that can complete a seemingly endless number of tasks. In short: the more niche, the better.

Moreover, the sub’s mod team asks its members to avoid reposting photos that have been recently shared by other redditors. There’s also no room for any offensive content. Treat others kindly, be polite.

Meanwhile, when making a post, be sure to explain exactly what the tool or device does. Don’t opt for clickbait. Oh, and don’t use the subreddit as a means of promoting any products that you sell or profit from.

You could argue that without tools, we aren’t human. However, there are quite a few species that actually use tools as they see fit. For instance, chimpanzees are capable of making spears to hunt other primates.

Meanwhile, orangutans have been known to make improvised whistles from bundles of leaves in the wild. They use these to ward off predators, according to Live Science.

However, it’s not just primates and apes that can use tools. Crows, for example, craft their feathers, twigs, and leaves into tools. They’re also known to drop stones in pitchers to raise the water level inside of them so they can have a drink.

Meanwhile, elephants, dolphins, octopi, and otters are also known to use tools for getting rid of pests, uncovering prey underwater, for shelter, and cracking open shells, respectively.

So while the tools that we use are far, far more complex than what can be found in the animal kingdom, we also shouldn't imagine that human beings hold a monopoly on them.

Our ancient ancestors developed the first stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago. The Smithsonian explains that during the Early Stone Age, early humans made hammerstones, stone cores, and shark stone flakes.

1.76 million years ago, these evolved into handaxes and other large cutting tools.

By the Middle Stone Age, 200,000 years ago, the range of tools exploded in its variety. Suddenly, you could find spears and scrapers for preparing hide, wood, and other materials. By the Later Stone Age, people began using more diverse crafting materials. From bone and ivory to antlers and stone. Different groups began developing their own specific cultures and ways of making things.