How a pair of binoculars becomes smart
AX Visio: A story of innovations
The SWAROVSKI OPTIK AX Visio are the world’s first smart binoculars. What innovations are concealed in this product and how are the smart components integrated in the binoculars? We offer a glimpse behind the scenes
How do binoculars become smart?
The AX Visio are the world’s first AI-supported binoculars. They combine brilliant SWAROVISION quality with intelligent functions that make every sighting a very special experience. A new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) has been integrated for identifying birds and other wildlife.
You can find out more about how the AX Visio supports your nature experiences here:
What does the “AX” stand for in AX Visio?
AX Visio – stands for Augmented Experience. To provide this augmented experience in the binoculars, the AX Visio passes through many work stations from first step through to finished product.
The path from blank to smart binoculars
It all starts with a blank. This is then shaped according to which binoculars it will ultimately become. This creates the finished part and – with a little imagination – we can already recognize what it will eventually be. After around two hours of processing, the AX Visio blank is transformed into a finished part ready for further processing.
The new finished part then arrives in the sanding shop. The surfaces are smoothed by hand here and prepared for the next production steps. After thorough cleaning, the sanded parts are sent to the blasting plant. Very fine particles are used to create a homogeneous surface to ensure all parts are prepared perfectly for later assembly.
The finished parts are then secured by hand to a special rack ready for the next step in the anodizing plant. In this 50-meter-long plant, the surfaces are treated in different tanks prior to further processing in assembly. Each anodizing tank has a different function, for example, etching or tempering.
More information about the anodizing plant can be found in these articles:
Assembly – When everything comes together
The next step is then assembly. Following optimum preparation, it’s time to put the parts together. In the case of the AX Visio, this means a total of 390 parts. All components are meticulously assembled. Here, for example, the circuit board.
As well as making it possible to identify birds and other wildlife, the AX Visio’s integrated camera also allows users to store sightings in high quality. These precious experiences then immediately become part of a personal collection.
Before the AX Visio is sent to our consumers, everything is fine-tuned and checked to ensure perfect functionality.
Smart software meets analog binoculars
Even without use of the intelligent functions, the AX Visio are fully-fledged analog binoculars that allow you to observe nature in brilliant SWAROVISION quality. If you choose to activate the intelligent functions, you can fully enhance your experience of nature – according to your individual wishes. With the development of smart functions, SWAROVSKI OPTIK is gearing up for the future – to continue to meet the needs of demanding users with high-quality sports optics
20programming languages were used to teach the AX Visio how to provide the best possible support for wildlife observation.
475,000 lines of code were written for the AX Visio.
23,000 hours were invested in developing the software for the world’s first smart binoculars.
Always at the cutting edge
Regular system and functional updates ensure that the AX Visio can intensify and enhance nature experiences for many people for many years to come. The open programming interface gives creative external providers the opportunity to expand the smart binoculars with new functionalities. This guarantees that the AX Visio will continue to meet nature watchers’ needs in the future and constantly surprise with new functions.
