Today, Unistellar is mostly known as a smart telescope manufacturer and has released five models in the last 7 years, but now it is looking to expand its range. A description of the product has been published on Kickstarter and fundraising for its launch has begun.

How does it work

• The company promises that its latest device featuring Nikon optics will be able to: Mark objects and constellations in the night sky or Shows remote tourist routes and landmarksso you don’t get lost.
• Like most of the company’s other stargazing devices, Envision needs to be connected to the phone Allows the user to access GPS and Unistellar online databases.
• The scope also includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to determine your position and inclination angle.
• With all this data, the augmented reality binoculars will send information in augmented reality format to the micro-display on the right lens of the eyepiece, superimposing the virtual elements of the interface on the real picture.

So when you look at a distant mountain, Envision can tell you its name, the distance to its peak, and possibly local trails. It will also direct you to shelters, water sources, and caves.

The company also promises that you can hand the binoculars to a friend and the device will use visual cues to direct their gaze to where you’re looking.

Envision will also be able to show you the location of the International Space Station and where a man has been on the moon.

Envision binoculars / Photo: Unistellar

Possible problems and solutions

But when you’re deep in the woods, you might not have access to a full online database. Unistellar says users can download information about the area they’re going to in advance, so they don’t have to rely on spotty cellular connections. The company promises to have a large database to see many distant landmarks or stars.

• Unistellar also claims that their database contains information on over 1,000 distant nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters.
• It should also include over 1 million landmarks on Earth, including mountaintops, caves, springs, and shelters.

There is currently no definitive list of all locations. It is also unknown which countries the scopes will work in. The only exception is China, where the current GPS API is not supported due to local policy.

It’s not great that the Unistellar’s ​​battery only lasts for 5 hours or 1000 interactions, but if it runs out you can still use the scope with its regular 10x magnification and 50mm lens.

When to wait

Now Production is planned for SeptemberThe first batch will be shipped to customers in November. Unless there are any unforeseen delays, the second batch will be shipped in December.

Watch a sneak peek of Envision: video