The Thanko madness goes on and on. The Japan-based gadget maker is now selling a “lightoscope” [JP], a term coined by the company itself. Apparently, a lightoscope is a combination of a microscope and a light. And yes, it has a USB interface, otherwise this wouldn’t be a Thanko product.

The lightoscope is 24mm at its thickest part and solves a totally common problem: By using it, you can now a) see in the dark, b) reach narrow areas (for example in a car engine as shown in the picture), c) magnify those areas with the built-in microscope (40x) and d) store everything you see on a PC via USB.

The thing can even be shaped like an “S” because it’s flexible. Yes, Thanko did it once again.

As with all Thanko products, I don’t know what they are actually good for, but in case you really want the lightoscope, wait until they list it in the English store. In Japan, the thing costs a whopping $130. It only supports Windows XP and Vista.