Binoculars are considered by most to belong in the adult world. Already expensive to manufacture, the problem of dropping them: where the lenses are misaligned at best and broken at worst, has proven a deterrent towards marketing them at children. However, many adults underestimate the power that a pair of binoculars can have in a child's life. Through the binoculars one sees a whole different world. Small objects are made big, far objects are made near, and animals that can never be see up close are suddenly in tangible.

This wonder has captured the imagination of many, adults and children alike. So what better way to pull kids away from screens and outside of climate-controlled buildings and into the natural arena surrounding them? Hand a child a pair of binoculars and he or she may become lost in this other world.

Unlike other binoculars marketed towards children, where the lenses inside are non-existent, our binoculars are functional. These 8x32 Binoculars are made smaller for smaller hands, the bright colors are easy to spot in grass or leaves, and the lenses are set further into the binoculars in order to keep them from breaking easily. Most importantly, the binoculars are heavily padded with shock-absorbent rubber in order to keep the lenses from being easily knocked out of alignment. They can withstand being dropped (though not flung) without danger of hurting the lenses.

Physical Principles

This toy is based on the physics of lenses and light refraction. (Hold your curser over the image of the binoculars to see the lenses.) The light entering the binoculars is reflected through several lenses. This allowes the image to be magnified, such that the viewer sees the distant object at a much closer range.

Product Information

Recommended Age: 5-13
Field of View: 342 ft/1000 yds
Close Focus: 10 ft
Weight: 20 oz
Dimensions (HxW): 4 x 5 in
Cost: $75

The lenses of the Binoculars is created out of glass. The binocular casing will be created out of plastic lined with rubber, such that when dropped the lenses will not be knocked out of alignment.

There is no danger of a child being hurt while using our Binoculars. The binoculars themselves are created with children in mind, and can handle much rougher treatment then the average pair of binoculars. However, children should be advised to treat them gently because while still stronger then most binoculars the lenses will get misaligned with too much misuse.

Gwendolyn Barr
Carnegie Mellon University
Spring 2009