EyeClops
© 2007 Jakks Pacific, Inc.
See SpyClops Bionic Eye (CTR Sept 2011). See EyeClops BioniCam (CTR, Sept. 2008) and the EyeClops Bionic Eye SE (CTR, March 2009). This product might be sold in toy stores, but don't be fooled. EyeClops is a powerful microscope that works with your TV to make the hair on your arm look like a forest of trees—and, there's no computer installation to worry about. A tool like this can be an essential item in your home or classroom science curriculum. Shaped like a baseball-sized eyeball with a pistol grip, the $40 microscope plugs into the video-in port on a TV and is powered by five AA batteries. By aiming the center of the eye on any target such as a scrap of fabric on your shirt sleeve, your TV screen fills up with a view guaranteed to draw gawkers. Sugar crystals look like something from a glacier; lint like spaghetti. Objects are illuminated by three LEDs, and the single 200x magnification setting is ideal for discovering the individual pixels on a cell phone screen, or the tiny dots of ink on a dollar bill. The package includes accessories such as an insect holder for looking at living bugs and a clear petri dish for liquids. If you are a teacher and are lucky enough to have a projector in your classroom or living room, this tool becomes all the more interesting. Note that the EyeClops BioniCam (September 2008) adds the ability to see images with an onboard LCD screen, and capture JPG images of the items viewed in the viewfinder.
$40, TV microscope
Teaches: science, observation, exploration
CTR Rating: 94%