AN ABERGELE inventor is feeling on top of the world after having the vision to design a globally celebrated telescope.
Lifelong astronomer Peter Wise, of Dundonald Avenue, Abergele, collected a coveted gold medal at the 38th Geneva Inventions Fair in Switzerland after his product stood out from entries across the world.
The optical designer, who has been making telescopes for 30 years, drew upon his in-depth knowledge of the industry to design the refracting telescope that will now be sold commercially. After finding the market limited for his original plan for an eight-inch telescope, he worked on the successful 80mm design that is expected to cost on average just half of market leaders.
He said: “It was a tremendous achievement to win a gold medal and to now be able to take it forward to turn this into production for sales.
“There has been a lot of interest in the product and it was very pleasing. I have always been interested in astronomy and it was a case of looking to improve on what was already there.
“It was an excellent experience to go to Geneva and be in the company of other inventors from around the world, and to see my product win a gold medal was obviously particularly pleasing. We received some very positive feedback.”
Originally from Middlesex, Mr Wise has received strong support in designing the product from his North Walian wife Theresa.
He has also worked closely with staff at Coleg Llandrillo Cymru’s Technology Information Centre (TIC) to come up with the 80mm product and to enjoy the success at the global gala event in the inventions industry.
Mr Wise, 63, added: “The people from the Welsh Assembly Government that organised the Welsh contingent at the convention did a terrific job that helped us a lot. It was very pleasing to see several other Welsh representatives win medals.
“The support received from the TIC has been invaluable and I’m extremely impressed with the clear communication and speed of execution. The service and the quality of the work were excellent.”
The 80mm design is regarded in the industry as high quality, lightweight and robust and achieves an optical performance that at least matches the top of the range telescopes that are available.
Mr Wise said he had received a lot of interest from companies across the world, with the main markets being for military surveillance and bird watching.
nTo find out more about Mr Wise’s product, visit www.zerochromat.com.