One thing most of us have in common is that we have tons of electric appliances, equipment, and toys coupled with an inadequate number of outlets. So you end up with something that looks like the picture to the left. Shouldn’t there be some way to drain the electrical grid without taking up so much room? I cringe every time a cat gets close to my outlets, because there are so many things they could disconnect just by brushing past. That’s why the UK Folding Plug fascinates me. I passed on writing about it last week because I couldn’t think of an interesting angle for it. Not that I need one, because it’s interesting just by being.
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Electrical plugs in the United Kingdom are a bit different from US plugs, mainly because all plugs must by law have a fuse. They are notoriously bulky and hard to stuff into a small laptop bag. Outlets are all three-pronged. However, new outlets can be made to accommodate the folding plug while it is folded flat, which will allow room for several plugs that won’t bend under their own weight, as in the USB charger shown in the video. We have some styles of folding plugs in the US, but I haven’t seen one that actually folds down to a centimeter of thickness like the UK Folding Plug does. Yes, it’s less than half an inch thick when folded up.

29-year-old Min Kyu Choi of the Royal College of Art in London was inspired to create the folding plug after his ultrathin laptop was scratched by a bulky standard plug while he transported it. The problem is doubled for people who travel with not only electrical plugs, but adapters for different countries. It took Min a year to come up with a design he is satisfied with. The plug is not yet available to the public. Min is looking for investors in order to start mass production.UK Folding Plug