mui Lab Scores $2 Million To Turn Wood Into Touchscreens

mui Lab, a Japanese start-up, announced it secured almost $2 million in funding for its innovative technology that turns wood into touch-sensitive displays.

The company’s Mui wooden smart display, a gorgeous smart home devices, turned heads at CES this year and snagged the CES Innovation Award. 

In late 2018, the same device also raised more than $110,000 on Kickstarter and got the Best of Kickstarter Award 2018.

Featuring a dedicated Google Assistant button to let you easily interact with other devices or look up information online, the Mui wooden smart display blends into almost any decor.

Only when you interact with it does it light up and reveal its nature: it’s a smart home hub that uses IFTTT to control other devices from Google Nest, Phillips Hue or Sonos. 

Just swipe the panel and light will glow from within the wood board.

Considering the digital detox trend and the tendency to remove screens from home environments, it’s no wonder the Mui board had this success.

Now, with an additional $2 million in their coffers, its makers can focus on expanding their ‘calm technology’ through licensing.

“We envision a world where there is harmony among technology, the humans who use it, and

nature surrounding them. With this funding, we can begin carrying out some of the critical steps

toward achieving our vision and creating interfaces for a new, quality digital lifestyle.

The funding will also help us make our technology,” said CEO Kazunori Oki.