Many assume that smart home displays of the future will be glass (think glass for touch screens), but a Japanese company is trying to change that perception by creating a smart home display made of a wood block.
The company, Kyoto-based Nissha, specializes in crafting capacitive touch sensors such as those present in the Nintendo Switch, but the company’s newest project is a smart home display called the Mui.
Mui smart home display functionality
“Mui” means “silent,” and that’s how the internet-connected, wood block device runs (silently). The smart home display runs by way of Yahoo Japan’s Internet of Things (IoT) service myThings and works with Philips Hue light bulbs and Net LED. Nissha plans to bring other smart light integrations, as well as IFTTT and Alexa integrations to the Mui in the future. A companion app for the smart home display is in the works, though there’s still some time to craft it behind the scenes.
We can see potential uses for the Nissha Mui smart home display in the home, such as a clock to display the time (goodbye manual clocks), a central home lighting system, temperature adjuster, and a message or reminder display. You remember that To-Do List that you write weekly but can’t seem to remember where you left it? When do you catch that train or plane for Thanksgiving? Yes, that’s why you need the Nissha Mui.
Nissha Mui smart home display availability and pricing
Nissha plans to launch its Mui smart home display in June 2018 via crowdfunding website Kickstarter, with a starting price range between $900 and $1,200. Nissha has made its prototype home display out of wood block, but the company plans to create displays out of other build materials such as mirror glass, marble, and red fabric. To create that “blend-in” feel, this is a good future agenda for Nissha.
Hopefully, the Nissha Mui will provide not only the time, temperature, and even light control but also other info such as when your meal is ready, your smart TV guide, provide medicine reminders, when to fulfill medicine prescriptions, display phone calls, and provide the due date for upcoming bills.
For more information on the Nissha Mui smart home display, check out the video below.
