In the past year, we as a society have learned at least two things: artificial intelligence can be helpful, and artificial intelligence can be scary. With entire industries threatened, serious questions on intellectual property, and the longest-ever actors’ strike to hit Hollywood, AI is making waves much bigger than we could have imagined. However, some brands are using the groundbreaking tech to improve our experiences in the most unlikely of areas. Swarovski Optik, one of the most distinguished producers of high-end optics has just announced the first-ever AI-supported binoculars.
Unveiled at this year’s CES trade show, the AX Visio not only enhances the experience of using binoculars out in the wild but also pushes the envelope enough to justify anyone who thinks they wouldn’t ever have a need for binoculars to begin with. If you’ve ever wished you could name a bird or deer species that you see outdoors, this smart unit now gives you real-time information about what you’re looking at, with over 9,000 species in its database as of right now. While there are already smartphone apps available that can identify certain wildlife with the help of your phone camera, this doesn’t solve the issue of creatures that won’t let you get close to them.
Working in tandem with the Swarovski Optik Outdoor App, the AX Visio 10×32 also features an integrated camera that can capture photographs and videos of whatever you’re looking at, be it birds or mountain ranges. For those who have never peered through the vantage of Swarovski binoculars, just know that there are few that can compare, and the difference is noticeable when it comes to color and clarity. Working for about five years on this project, the Austrian brand has also tapped Marc Newson for its design. In case you aren’t aware, Newson is one of the greatest industrial designers of all time, with works consisting of the Ford 021C concept vehicle and, most notably, the Lockheed Lounge Chair. For the AX Visio –– his second for Swarovski (following the CL Curio) –– Newson was influenced by the geometrics of the brand’s historic Habich series while utilizing a modern-day ergonomic function that feels good in-hand. The designer considers the Habichi to be “one of the best examples of analog engineering,” pulling inspiration from its form-follows-function approach, seeing as it’s not very common in the binoculars space.
If you’re hoping to get your hands on the AX Visio, just know that they won’t come cheap. Priced at $5,889, the binoculars will be available starting February 1 from Swarovski Optik’s website.
