"Lanthanides' properties are really fantastic. We only use them commercially in one oxidation state—the 3+ oxidation state—which defines a set of magnetic and optical properties.

Kickstarter pledges start at €799 (about US$842), for a package that includes a 6-inch optical module. Assuming the Sevunscope reaches production, it should ship next December.

The module uses a structure called an optical waveguide to connect as many as 51 optical fibres per millimetre. It also prevents light signals from one fibre from interfering with its neighbours.

Added to this already challenging design specification we stated that the new beam splitter optical module should also be able to incorporate high quality, user changeable filters that would allow our ...