Impossible is poised to raise more than $250,000 in a Kickstarter campaign to create the first device that will bridge the gap between digital and instant photography.

According to Florian Kaps, the founder of Impossible, Instant Lab is "the answer to a question we have been posing for a long time: 'Is there a convenient but truly analogue way to transfer our everyday iPhone images into these unique, real and magic photographs we love so much?'"

Instant Lab is a film-processing unit that can "take" an instant photo of an iPhone screen. The lab features a cradle to hold the iPhone and uses a specialised lens to focus the iPhone's Retina display on the film plane. It also has an extendable bellows to keep the exact distance between the phone, the optical system and the film, says Impossible.

Impossible will also release an iPhone app that will allow Instant Lab users to select and crop an image, and start a countdown timer. "The app will then do all the necessary calculations to create proper exposure on any kind of Impossible instant film," according to the Austrian firm.

To finance its concept, Impossible has turned to Kickstarter to raise funds. With 26 days to go, it had already raised more than $215,000.

Impossible's Instant Lab will be released in February 2013, but Kickstarter backers can secure one of the first models for $189. Visitors of the Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany, will be able to try the device at Impossible's stand.

For more details, and to support Impossible, visit the Kickstarter campaign page.