The "gadget" in question turns out to be a steak knife. "Gadget": origin obscure, originally in nautical use: a small tool or piece of mechanism; an accessory or adjunct especially of a trivial nature. This is as much as the Guardian is willing to show us of the small tool.
Perhaps it thought that as the complete item costs £170 that is as much as we needed.
The designer is John Pawson, the highley regarded architect:
"People are surprised by how long it takes to make something as apparently simple as a knife," says celebrated architect John Pawson of his new steak knife. The blade, created for When Objects Work, a Belgian company that produces exclusive objects by leading designers, took three years to develop. "When it comes to a house, people understand a life cycle measured in years, but for me it's all architecture – there's essentially no difference in the way I set about designing a building or a table." Made by Kai, the Japanese master craftsmen and makers of Samurai swords, the Damascus-steel blade features 16 ripple-like marks. The ebony handle is elegant, slender and beautifully balanced. £170
Architecture: the art or science of constructing edifices for human use.
