How to play with Mu?
There are different ways to pair Mu with a toy body (most of which can be sourced easily online or in your local stores).
1. Mu action figures （for 5+)
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You can create bodies for Mu using lego pieces or wood blocks. Mu makes a great action figure that can see and talk. You can even record your own voice. We will publish building instructions of different action figures when Mu ships.
2. Mu autonomous toy robots (for 7+)
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You can install Mu on remote controlled toys such as the Hexbug remote controlled series (
Spider,
Tarantula, or
Fire ant). Mu's Infra-Red transmitter can talk to any IR controlled toy to move them around as an autonomous robot.
3. Mu on Lego Mindstorms EV3 (for 9+)
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You can build more advanced robots using Lego Mindstorms EV3. Mu can talk to EV3 through its IR sensor. Just set the EV3 to the IR control mode and Mu will take over the control.
4. Mu with its own body (New!)
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We have designed a customized body based on the open source robot zowi (with 4 servo motors on the legs for many dance moves). Check our newly added perk!
Once Mu is installed on a robotic body, it can perform a number of detection & tracking tasks as shown previously. You will use the mode button on the back of Mu to switch between these tasks. Have more awesome ideas of using Mu? Share with us at mu@morpx.com. You could be chosen to win a free Mu developer's package.
Select your perk
Our mission is to make robot building a fun experience for everyone. Your contribution is very important for us to reach that goal. As a reward, you will be among the first to experience the cutting edge technology embedded in Mu. Grab that early bird price before it's gone!
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Toys that are compatible with Mu
Mu is compatible with any toy that uses infra-red remote control. Mu can control a toy as long as the IR codes of the toy are known.
Here is a list of well-known IR controlled toys (where earlier items are easier to integrate with Mu). And we are working hard to add new toys to the list.
1. Lego Mindstorms EV3: LEGO, Amazon
2. Hexbug Remote Controlled bugs: Spider, Tarantula, Fire ant
3. Lego Technic Sets with Power Functions and IR receiver: LEGO, Amazon
4. Remote controlled Robot by ThinkGizmos: Amazon
5. Zoomer Dino: Amazon
6. Disney Cars Lightning McQueen: Amazon
7. Other IR toys: Amazon
What's inside a Mu package?
1. Fully assembled Mu. (For those who choose the no battery early bird version, your Mu has to draw power from the USB or other sources. LEGO Mindstorms EV3 has a USB port that you could use for power.)
2. Universal mount for Mu.
3. Double-sided foam stickers.
4. Micro-USB cable for charging and data transfer.
5. Cardboard for creating a stationary body for Mu.
6. Instruction manual.
Who We Are
Morpx, the company behind Mu, is a technology & design startup born in Silicon Valley and grown up in Hangzhou, China. Our mission is to give vision, arguably the most important human sense, to any ordinary object through hardware and software innovations.
Morpx was founded in July 2013 by former Google researcher Dr. Tianli Yu and Dr. Frank Ran. Both founders are parents of school-aged kids and they know first hand the importance of kids playing in the real world rather than on the smartphone.
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Technical Details
Inside a MU
Small, versatile, yet easy to use, Mu is an engineering marvel that delivers state-of-the-art computer vision hardware and software in a tiny, self-contained package.
It has:
A camera to see colors, lines, balls, faces, and human contours.
A universal IR transmitter to control LEGO EV3, Hexbugs, etc.
An internal speaker for voice and music.
A set of color LEDs as blinking eyes.
An internal rechargeable battery that runs continuously for up to 8 hours.
Mu has already gone through 4 iterations of PCB design.
![PCB hardware.png]()
For DIYers
The Mu PCB includes two sets of the 3-wire servo connectors. It also has SPI/I2C pins to interface with Arduino or Raspberry Pi. We will release a community version of the Mu software for people who like to write their own control program.
Hardware specs
The Software
M-Eye OS, the software platform running on Mu, is specifically optimized for interactive robots that rely primarily on visual sensors. It has a very compact memory footprint and can even run entirely in the cache of modern processors.
M-Eye OS can boot up in 1 second, while other Linux based solutions take 30 - 60 seconds to boot.
On top of the M-Eye OS is our cutting-edge computer vision library that includes algorithms such as:
- Line / shape / color tracking
- Face detection / recognition
- Human body tracking
- Morpx Deep Learning Runtime Engine
The Mu4Toys App
![app together.png]()
You can use the Mu4Toys app to customize the Mu's behavior on different toys, set event triggering or record voice response. Once it is customized, you don't need smartphone again to play with your Mu robot.
Timeline
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Fun Facts
- Mu means eye in ancient Chinese. Its Chinese character is 目.
- Mu was launched at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. There was a story floating around that Mu is the head of an alien robot, who was rescued by the Morpx team out of the Nevada desert.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.How do I put the MU on a LEGO EV3 set?
You can use a small, round, double-sided foam tape (included) and stick it near the IR sensor of EV3. For more details please check our youtube instruction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4pHRQrpQok
2. Could I use a Mu to control LEGO® Power Functions IR Receiver(8884)?
Lego Power Functions IR receiver uses the same IR code as the the EV3. So Mu can control both. For details please see this discussion.
3. Where will you ship and what's the shipping cost?
We ship worldwide. Free shipping is available for 5 Mu, 10 Mu, and 20 Mu orders. The shipping fee is between $4-$10. Please see perk details for the shipping cost that applies to you.
4. How do I upgrade my perk to a better one?
If you'd like to upgrade your perk to a higher-priced perk, you can now do so on the contributions tab of your Indiegogo profile. For example, if you originally claimed a $10 perk but now you want to upgrade to a $98 perk, you can click "Upgrade to Higher Priced Perk" next to your $10 perk. This will direct you back to the contribution flow. You can then select the new higher-priced perk you'd like to claim.
When you complete the transaction, your original contribution will be automatically refunded. Read about how to upgrade your perk.
5. How do I choose more than one perk?
The Indiegogo system is not set up to choose multiple perks. If you would like to choose more than one perk, you will need to initiate a separate process for each pre-order. If you encounter difficulties, please email mu@morpx.com and use "NEED HELP WITH ORDERING" as the subject line.
6. I preordered MU but I didn’t get a confirmation email. How can I check the status?
Please see the article on How to Know if Your Contribution is Successful. If there is still an issue, then you may need to contact support@indiegogo.com.
7. There was an error with my contribution. What happened?
Please refer to this article on common contribution errors and steps to resolve them: Common Contribution Errors.
8. Why am I checking out through Indiegogo?
We are using the Indiegogo platform to maintain transparency with our campaign: all the stats, numbers, deadlines and dollars raised are real. We want you to know that we have the full support of the crowdfunding community to help keep us accountable.
9. Can I get a refund?
Indiegogo does process refunds during the campaign. If you would like a refund, we're sorry to see you go. Please see here for How To Request a Refund.
10. If I have other questions, whom should I contact?
We are receiving a lot of inquiries, and are responding as fast as possible. Please contact mu@morpx.com with any other questions you may have.
