Mµ Thermal Imager - real or fake?

[Rasz]

http://pl.mouser.com/new/redpine-signals/redpine-RS9110N1122xx/

22mm x 28mm


http://www.nlvocables.com/images/flir/soldering_iron_flir.jpg
thermal picture also seems to be real this time, and not a scam^^^artistic rendition

[CanadianAvenger]

Phone image appears to be simulated, or the ceiling must be incredibly cold for the camera to see the background as pitch black with no noise.

But the board itself looks plausable.. the case is a bullshit rendering as always. If they really had 1st samples that passed with flying colours, why not post an actual picture of it?

[Legit-Design]

Phone image appears to be simulated, or the ceiling must be incredibly cold for the camera to see the background as pitch black with no noise.

Maybe they are having real problems with trying to do the processing on phone side like they have claimed before? And the picture is in fact taken from the camera, but it's nowhere near what a real thermal image should be like with real processing. Now they have just hacked it together and made it do _something_ so now they can start the real work. 

[Scutarius]

Holy crap batman, who expected to see some actual hardware? 

I was surprised too, I don't know what to think now, this is getting better.

[CanadianAvenger]

Maybe they are having real problems with trying to do the processing on phone side like they have claimed before? And the picture is in fact taken from the camera, but it's nowhere near what a real thermal image should be like with real processing. Now they have just hacked it together and made it do _something_ so now they can start the real work. 

So that puts us back to "tweaking bias levels" ... wasn't that something like 40 updates ago ?

[CanadianAvenger]

Oh and back to the "end game" It'll probably look something like this [this is the recent update/exit for a kickstarter campaign (myIDkey) that has shut down before completing shipping] 

Kickstarters,

During the last several months, we hit unforeseen design, cost and production delays in our business. Although we were able to complete and begin shipping product, we do not have the financial resources to continue functioning as a company without additional investment. We have spent the last two weeks in domestic manufacturing while simultaneously trying to raise additional capital.

While we are looking at these options and to maintain the viability of the company, we have made the gut-wrenching decision to hibernate many of the functions of our current business, including manufacturing, marketing and sales. This means that we’ve had to lay off some of our employees. As a result, you may already have experienced delays and disruption to some of our communication.  We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

In addition, we aware of some issues with the initial encryption sequence, fingerprint authentication, pairing and power. We want to ship you the best product possible and we are working on RMAs, fixing issues and iterating new builds of the firmware. We ask that you please be patient with us as we work on all of these things simultaneously.

Our plan to is to continue on our development path while we raise additional funding to bring the company back to full operation. I will keep you posted as we have updates. I realize that this has been a very bumpy journey but I remain committed to getting the business back on track and fulfilling the commitment to our backers.

Best,

Benjamin Chen, CEO

myIDkey

[Legit-Design]

I suppose they are using that large aluminium lump around the lens to stabilize the temperature around the sensor and lens? I recall seeing something similar on mike tearing down his Flir E4. Last picture they had https://images.indiegogo.com/medias/922071/pictures/full/20130710142155-photo-2.JPG?1373491459 showed some maybe 3d printed plastic holder, I guess they were having problems with that? That is why they havent been able to post any pictures.

Since infrared goes through some plastics quite easily wouldn't their old 3d printed lens holder have same problem as camera that was leaking light onto sensor/film. Sensor would mostly get light anywhere but from the focused lens. Mikes FLIR E4 Thermal Imaging Camera teardown. I wonder what kind of results would you get with just doing Lens Whacking / Free Lensing over the sensor. I would suspect it would be equilevant of washed out picture.

[EEVblog]

So that puts us back to "tweaking bias levels" ... wasn't that something like 40 updates ago ?

Yep.
It's just ridiculous. If you had so many obviously pissed of backers for so long, and your reputation was so on the edge, and you finally had a working product, you'd jump up and down in front of a video camera waving the thing around like a proud parent with a new born baby. But no, you put out more very carefully presented photos that only add fuel to the fire. One can only conclude that they still don't have anything working well enough to show.
Although you have it give it to them, the Mu saga is the best entertainment game in town!

[EEVblog]

Someone in the comments claims:

Dear Guy who said contacting indiegogo won’t do a thing. They said if there is nothing new until May 24th, they will start legal action.

Is this what prompted the update?

[mikeselectricstuff]

I suspect that board might actually  be a sensor manufacturer's devboard.

I doubt it. It seems to use the same Redpine(?) wifi module as the older board, so appears to be some sort of revision to that board.
Also, I suspect someone would have found it by now if it was just a off-the-shelf dev board.

I doubt there is anything remotely "off the shelf" about any thermal imager devboard - likely to be very rare beasts as TIC sensor manufacturers won't talk to small outfits, and will be under NDA.

 

[EEVblog]

Hey, anyone remember that project? what was it called? Mu something?

[Kean]

I was having a good day after the iFind suspension, and you have to go and remind me of that 

[EEVblog]

I was having a good day after the iFind suspension

iFind got suspended?
UPDATE: Seems it has been, just over the news now, gotta go read...

[Kean]

Yep!  Great news to wake up to   

[EEVblog]

bump

What can we say? Past the date yet again when they promised something, in this case "first article parts" and there are still people in the comments section clinging on hope that Mu are actually going to deliver something.
It is now pretty clear that their last update was designed to stop IGG investigating them, if you believe the claim made in the comments that that was about to occur and IGG gave them an ultimatum.
According to their last update they were pulling images from pre-production boards well over a month ago now, yet no sign of any actual image, nor what looks like a pre-production board.
That board they showed in the photo looks for all the world like a bench test dev board.

[Legit-Design]

Mu Thermal playbook: Don't show anything until the teacher authority gives you an ultimatum about delivering something.
Yes they could have had that picture for months just sitting there waiting for right time.

[SeanB]

Sound of a small violin playing a mournful dirge..........

[AndyC_772]

Must be a *very* small violin; I can't hear it but there's a dog barking outside... 

[dexters_lab]

this thread reminds me when i started watching the TV series Lost

you keep coming back and find there are still no answers and it's really starting to drag on

[MacAttak]

this thread reminds me when i started watching the TV series Lost

you keep coming back and find there are still no answers and it's really starting to drag on

+1

Every time I see "new posts" indicator on this thread I get so excited that I'm about to see some real photos now. Or another "update". Or at least another dissection of a previous update or a new twist where someone has sleuthed out some previously unnoticed aspect to the story. But then I click the link and realize it's just other people wishing the same thing. There is no closure to be found.

And there we go, the next person who clicks the thread will discover this too. The circle of life continues.

[SeanB]

Smoke and mirrors, and another open day at the fun house, or the Psych ward, whichever you choose.

[ixfd64]

They seem to have pulled down their Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mu-Optics/274122436049948 now redirects the user to Facebook's home page.

[fcb]

Interesting the FLIR still haven't released the ONE yet or communicated recently (the last email from FLIR was on 31st Jan).

[PlainName]

FLiR no better than Mu, shock horror!

Or Mu no worse than FLiR, depending on your point of view 

[rolycat]

Interesting the FLIR still haven't released the ONE yet or communicated recently (the last email from FLIR was on 31st Jan).

An update from their CEO in June said it's expected late July, as reported here.