Binoculars using portable radiation imaging system technology
The portable radiation imaging system (PRIS) has many more capabilities than binoculars from any previous Tech Level. The PRlS can be set to observe images in the spectral range from infrared to gamma rays. (The PRlS will not detect radio waves.) The front surface of the PRlS is transparent to all radiation; just behind it is a series of lenses tailored to various specific bands. Besides this, a tight beam laser rangefinder gives an accurate reading on the target within sight up to about 20 km, depending on conditions, with the range displayed as a digital readout in the viewfinder. The PRlS also has a built-in clock and limited memory, so the rangefinder can determine the velocity of the object being viewed by comparing its distance from the observer over time.
The unit can be calibrated to a standard self-precessing gyrocompass, in which case the bearing of the direction viewed will be digitally displayed in the corner of the viewfinder. The magnification strength of the PRlS is adjustable up to 225 x . A built-in flywheel for gyro-stabilization insures a steady field of view at all magnifications.
Besides its obvious uses in the field, the PRlS also finds itself used in a variety of industrial and engineering applications. Its infrared images can be color-coded to show the ambient temperatures of objects in the viewfinder. A PRIS can therefore be found near every jump drive, to be used by engineers looking for “hot spots” on the drive housing. In other areas of a ship, the PRlS can detect problems in electrical circuits, again by finding an area of higher temperature.