Screwdrivers are generally thought of as being rough, tough, no-nonsense devices, so what might a high-end exotic Italian screwdriver look like? Well, as it turns out, probably a lot like the limited-edition Kinetic Driver.

The elegant tool was created by designer Giacomo Di Muro, who is based out of the northern Italian town of Alassio. Among his previous inventions was the Maker Knife, which sported a retractable ceramic blade.

The Kinetic Driver features a stainless steel shaft with a brass cylinder at the bottom, that acts as a flywheel. At the top of the device is a ring-shaped head that contains a ceramic bearing. The whole thing is chemically treated to give it an oxide coating, which reportedly makes it “virtually immune to corrosion.”

To use the Kinetic Driver, you just hold it so that its head is pressed against your palm, then you spin the knurled shaft in either direction with your fingers. The flywheel causes the shaft to continue spinning relative to the head, so you don’t have to keep manually turning it yourself. If a screw is particularly tight, though, you can just grab the shaft directly to deliver more torque.

The tool is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where a pledge of €75 (about US$88) will get you a package that includes one screwdriver, 24 interchangeable bits, and a carrying case – if everything works out, that is. Di Muro plans to produce just 5 percent more units than the number of preorders he receives, after which the Kinetic Driver will never be manufactured again.

Kinetic Driver puts a new spin on screwdrivers [New Atlas]