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mui is a wooden touch panel that serves as a smart home control hub. Designed as a distraction-free “calm design” interface for the post-smart screen era, mui enables users to focus on their tasks at hand and be in the moment while staying digitally “connected.” mui is the first product of mui Lab, which draws inspiration from the Taoism philosophy of “mui shizen” works to develop calm design devices and systems that can create a harmony among technology, the humans who use and the nature surrounding them.
Why mui ?
1. Enables distraction-free digital communication. Allows us to be more mindful readers, more creative artists and better families. 2. Easy way to talk with your family, check news, weather, calendar information and more. No need to reach for your smart phone(s). 3. Hustle-free way to control connected devices, including smart speakers and smart appliances. 4. Work with Alexa or Google Assistant via IFTTT integration. 5. Less time looking at your phone and more time to spend with your family.
Want to know how muiworks? Take a look at these short movies.
Enjoy distraction-free family time. Unlike smartphones, muidoesn't get you hooked on it.
muifor family life (muiin the photo is in sleep mode.)
We aim to solve one of the biggest issues in today's society: Everyone is looking at their phones at the dinner table.
muienables you to enjoy a mindful life and spend quality time with your family. It helps you keep a healthy distance from social media, so you won't be endlessly on the phone -- an important digital life management skill for children to learn.
We are aiming to provide a solution to nomophobia – as in “no-mo(bile) phone-phobia. We believe “technology” can become synonymous with “calm” and “quiet.” mui can be a tool to create a serene living space while keep you connected.
Digital-native kids and smart devices
Calm Design Device
muiis an interactive wood panel that is activated by swiping your finger across its surface. Using the digital display that appears on the wood surface, you can talk, send and receive messages, and check the news and weather. You can also control connected devices in your home, office or public spaces, like lighting, thermostats, and so on. When you are done, the panel goes back to sleep mode and looks just like a piece of beautifully sanded wood again.
muiat our friend's home in OSAKA, JAPAN
In accordance with calm design principles, muiaims to minimize the “noise” of technology and create a calm and peaceful environment for you to live in while providing just the right kind of convenience catered to your needs.
muibeta at our friend's home in Osaka, JAPAN
Press Coverage
At CES2020, mui had great responses from media and audience!
Text Messaging & Voice Mail between family and home
Event Sharing for family matters, birthday, anniversaries and more!
Weather News
Night Mode for "Calm" moments
Smart Home Controls such as lighting, music, thermostat and more!
mui is designed as cloud connected hub, mui will be automatically updated with new functions!
mui applications
bed room installation (image)
OUR STORY
At mui Lab, many of our team members are in our late 30s and early 40s and have busy family lives. We all struggle to balance our precious family time with the demands of technology. Instead of playing and talking with our children, we found ourselves glued to our phones and computers, desperately trying to “connect” with others. This saddened our children and disconnects us from our spouses.
mui Laboratory in Kyoto, JAPAN
Personal Stories
mui in Hirobe’s home | Nobuyasu Hirobe (Co-Founder, Creative Director)
Hirobe
Whenever leaving the office late at night, I send a good night message to mui for my 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. That always makes them happy.
My daughter is mesmerized by the light slide dimmer switch that appears on mui. She slides it back and forth over and over, trying to figure out how the lighting in the room is connected to mui, turning the lights up and down every time she moves her little fingers. Her brother wants his turn, too. They fight for the switch and never seem to get tired of playing with it.
My wife’s approach to mui is more practical. She wanted to be able to turn off the last light from inside her bed at night. So, I used mui’s settings to make it happen for her.
She likes having mui within arms’ reach, so she can easily check the weather forecast in the morning when deciding what to wear.
We use a beta version of mui in our house. When I was removing mui to update it the other day, our kids had worried looks on their faces and asked: “Are we losing mui?” Apparently, mui became a necessity for my son.
mui Lab’s Creative Director Nobu Hirobe was thinking about mui being in a public gathering place when developing the concept for the device. He believed people, not the device, need to be the focus of the space.
mui at Oki’s home | Kaz Oki (Co-Founder, CEO)
Oki
My wife often comes home late from work. Exhausted and ready to “unplug,” she turns to “mui-san” (the nickname for mui in our household) to get done only what she wants and nothing more. For example, the weather forecast would quickly appear on mui and then disappear, letting us gently slip into dreamland. She loves having just the right level of access to technology with mui-san, instead of the glowing phones we used to look at before going to bed.
Because mui lets us to control the lighting and appliance from another part of the house, the layout of the home no longer dictates our behavior. But we still wanted more from mui, including an option to shut off all lights with a touch of a button. This prompted us to develop the “Do Not Disturb” feature, which keeps the device on airplane mode until the alarm goes off in the morning.
mui Lab’s CEO Kazunori Oki is a newlywed. His and his wife both lead busy professional lives and typically have just three hours together each day. Oki did not want to waste any part of those three hours looking at his phone. mui was a perfect solution to this problem, and helped the couple stay connected.
Conclusion
mui is designed to create a modern living and work space where humans can thrive without being conditioned by technology. The intention is to stop technology from continuously demanding our attention, pulling us away from our loved ones while we try to enjoy our personal time. We can be more mindful readers, more creative artists, better families, thanks to the boundaries mui sets around our personal space and time.
Our homes will undoubtedly grow “smarter” as technologies further advance. There will always be some level of gaps between how technology works and how humans are meant to live. Still, mui empowers people to live their lives in the way they want by minimizing technological barriers. We envision mui as a tool which will help you create your desirable lifestyle, just like your favorite furniture which you choose to design your living space.
Team: Assembly of Experienced Technology & Design talents
Chandler Pierce | Architecutre Concept / Advisory Eiichiro Imamura | Furniture Design / Advisory Hiro Kamada | Movie Director Hiroko Sato | PR Global Side : Yohei Oki | Design Support Tamotsu Ito | Arcitecture Concept / Advisory Togo Kashu | Photograph Yuki Higoshi | Movie / Photograph Yuji Hasegawa | Movie / Photograph Don Lindsay | Advisor
Use Cases
Design
-Color, Material and Finish(CMF)
mui was trying to hide all product surface into space. We have tested multiple times integrating mui function into architectural wall. But this trial was too early to be used. We have changed our mind to make object first to investigate future possibility of mui.
Prototype muidimmer in the wall -- which is how we want mui to eventually look like. Integrating electronic components into wood is not an easy process. We've been working on this project for the past 2+ years.
How we selected wood as the material for mui
We consider mui as an interior design piece. We wanted mui to blend in with other furniture in the room. Because of that, we considered all kinds of natural stuff -- such as fabric, glass, stone, and wood -- as a potential material for mui. In the end, we concluded wood was the best material for mui because of its place in human history. Our team developed the concept of the product during our trip to the HIDA forest region in central Japan, which has been the hub of artisan woodworking since the 7th Century.
mui team's journey through the HIDA Forest
We learned about stories that illustrate the relationships between wood and those who use it and how the lifestyle of the forest region is rooted in the nature that surround the residents. Yes, nature, not digital technology nor data. We felt mui needs a story of its own that shows its connection to nature.
"Knock on Wood"
mui fuses nature with the digital world. What's special about mui is that it's almost entirely made of natural wood (except for the electronic components). We know how electronic smart devices are making our homes feel cold and sterile. By using wood as the material, mui can create a peaceful and relaxing space. The beautiful look of the sanded sycamore grains blends in with the room’s décor and furniture, allowing you to forget the device’s existence when not using it. mui is also available in Cherry, Maple or Ash.
We selected a color tone and grain pattern that provide a sense of warmth. mui features a unique stripe pattern called "Fu," which also mui more durable.
We are still deciding on darker color tones. We may select materials commonly used to make furniture, such as cherry and walnut. Once we make a decision, we will update our backers.
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Hidden Technology
QR code capability
When wood is touched, mui will be activated.
Set up & Connectivity
-Hardware setting
mui is on the wall | a house in Osaka, Japan
There will be uses instructions. We want to make it easy to mount mui on the wall. Our hardware team and architects are working to on it.
Software / Wifi Settings/ Connecting smart home devices
You can use the mui mobile app to connect mui to other devices and various services.
The app will be for both iOS and Android.
Here are some of the setup protocols via the mobile app.
mui app is starting from iOS but we'll prepare Web-app for Android users!
mui messaging features:
mui app (to be released in Feb/2020)
IFTTT can be integrated with mui through a mobile app. We will provide mobile console images for easy setup. Smart Home Gadgets and IoT devices can be connected via this app.
mui has been officially ready for IFTTT since Summer 2018. Via IFTTT, mui can connect with Google Home, Amazon Echo, Facebook, Twitter, Slack, Uber, Ring, Domino’s Pizza, Sonos, Philips Hue, New York Times News and other Smart Home Gadgets and Services. Please feel free to customize mui with your preferred applications. Triggers and Actions will be extended in the future.
mui can also be connected to Google Home and Amazon Echo ecosystems via the cloud and API.
Alexa & Google Home
Engineering Specs
mui 1st
Product Dimension: W585.8xH78.5xD26(mm) / W23*H3.1*D1.0(inch) item Weight: 850g (1.9lbs) Input: mui Material Capacitive Touch Panel System Network: Wi-Fi:IEEE802.11.b/g/n/ac 2.4Ghz/5GHz Bluetooth:4.2/BLE Microphone: 1 installed Speakers: 2 installed Power Source Type: AC100-240V(50Hz/60Hz)
Timeline
Mass-Production is starting now.
For Japan Domestic backers : Starting Jan 29/2020
For overseas backers : Starting mid-Feb/2020
Based upon delivery location, shipment timeline will be varied due to several reasons such as custom clearance / procedures.
Looking for more information?Check the project
FAQ