I guess they have ran out of budget or will to continue. But they keep refunding money, as somebody said earlier, this is a strage pattern for a scam and a strange pattern for a legit failed project, I mean, one cannot be so naive to continue with this project having so little time and funds, or so insisting when lying or so willing to refund when scamming.
But then, out of the blue, FLIR came up with the FLIR-One thingy. And all of a sudden they _really_ went "away". One has to wonder (not so much, actually) why that is....
I do hope they don't just disappear, it's been a fun ride (for those not invested) watching and wondering how and what type of BS the next update will contain.
To most of the technical audience here it was obvious this project just wasn't going to happen from the get-go, so most have been waiting for the inevitable finale...
If you’re wife was “pregnant” for 3 years, I’m betting you’d probably assume she just got fat and isn’t going to produce a “product”
Same with Mu…
PART 1 of 4
Hello IndieGoGo Supporters,
As technology developers we have the advantage of seeing the fruits of our labor on a day-by-day basis in what has been a protracted journey. This letter is our way of sharing our recent progress with you and also to begin to make amends for our past shortcomings in communications.
It's plain and clear: WE SCREWED UP and underestimated the effort. In this miscalculation, we missed our original deadlines to send you product. Compounding this: we have done a really bad job of keeping you up to date. We are truly sorry and are presently addressing all the open issues.
First
Regarding communications: our updates will become more regular as we now approach the actual release of the product.
Mu Optics has as its mandate: to provide simple and logical thermal imagining technology to the consumer market. We do this not via the traditional approach, but by marrying thermal imaging with smart devices. By leveraging devices that have real processing power and great user interfaces: we are able to lower the price while making its use both very simple and tremendously flexible. As you might expect: in order to do this, we have had to create a whole new approach to the technology.
As with any pioneering effort: early missteps, while disappointing to us all, have shone a light on better paths. Indeed: our imager today is far more robust than when we first embarked on this journey. We have also had had experiences where vendors supplied parts that simply did not live up to our expectations, or were unable to deliver their product in volume. This was both unacceptable and time consuming. As you know, the size of a market is driven by two principle factors: pricing and demand. When the former drops the latter climbs, and it is volume pricing and our belief that this kind of device can have a useful place in every toolbox that makes this product viable in the consumer space.
With these teething pains predominantly behind us we understand that gain comes only with pain and these issues forced us to fundamentally rethink how we provide a superior product at a competitive price. We've made many, many changes including bringing in critical new resource partners who are seasoned tech implementers.
PART 2 of 4
Last year saw the Mu team test multiple sensors and specialty lenses from various manufacturers, design and engineer a good deal of our own unique hardware; architect, write and re-write the software; experiment with dozens of attachment mechanisms as well as design a lens and shutter assembly which has taken considerable cost out of the camera, while at the same time adding functionality. The team’s newest partner, our Industrial Design/ Mechanical Engineering lead is a perfect complement to the original team’s brilliant physics effort. He has brought to market a myriad of high-technology and consumer products. We are very close to the finish line.
While we have made missteps, we apologize, but more importantly we are also now being held to higher standards internally. You'll see that going forward. We'll update, at the least, every few weeks.
Here are some recent highlights:
Last month, after adopting and re-engineering the core electronics to take advantage of a terrific new sensor: We achieved “First Heat” with this new sensor using our production electronics. On achieving this milestone: we are greatly pleased to announce that our research stage for this product has come to a close and the actual product development is quickly proceeding. It now appears we're on track to deliver cameras later this spring as we previously posted.
The smartphone software has been nearly complete for some time now, and we are presently verifying the histographic content of images from the production electronics to move the system engineering into the “completed” category. Because of the nature of the mobile marketplace: it's our goal to ship our imager as both iPhone and Android ready.
PART 3 of 4
Initial cameras are being manufactured using what is called “bridge tooling” which is in-process now. Once we receive first production articles of the electronics and the internal and housing parts, an initial run of “first article” imagers will be built and form our “Alpha” production samples, which will be purposed at field testing, evaluation and outside review. Because these initial units are actually produced via a production process virtually identical to the final production process (not prototyping): we expect the Alpha testing process to proceed rapidly. This essential process will permit us to make any final adjustments to the housing elements, our firmware and of course our applications. This testing and evaluation process will also allow us to begin to share with you the impressions of the camera from people outside of our company.
It is of significant note that after considerable winnowing we've selected our extended production team. As the various custom components begin to roll off their respective production lines, our production team is as excited about our camera as are we.
Our Infrared camera may be small: but our goals are very big. Because Mu Optics understands the importance of scaling this product beyond the limits of our walls: our final assembly partner is an extremely capable domestic electronics contract manufacturer with deep experience in manufacturing highly technical products on a substantially automated line. Also of importance to our team is the issue of corporate citizenship: Mu Optics has leveraged the extremely talented but often maligned American manufacturing base. Please understand that this was a more difficult step for us to take than to simply push the “offshore” (Easy) button, and it required a longer research schedule simply because the US model is that of “many specialist vendors” rather than “one jack-of-all-trades monolith”. We strongly believe this will be of strategic benefit to Mu Optics as well as our customers in the future.
PART 4 of 4
Our contract manufacturer, located just outside Chicago, after populating the electronics will be focusing, calibrating and testing products using automated fixtures of our design prior to ultrasonic sealing of the product into its housing.
At that point, the camera with the Instruction Manual, calibration report and accessories will be boxed and palletized by the same contract manufacturer, then sent to our logistics partner for shipment to customers.
As great as our technology is, there is no sensor on earth that can fully measure our appreciation for everyone’s support on this project, and we believe you will love what you see.
Warmest regards,
The entire MuOptics team
We are truly sorry and are presently addressing all the open issues.
Regarding communications: our updates will become more regular as we now approach the actual release of the product.
As with any pioneering effort: early missteps, while disappointing to us all, have shone a light on better paths. Indeed: our imager today is far more robust than when we first embarked on this journey.
With these teething pains predominantly behind us we understand that gain comes only with pain and these issues forced us to fundamentally rethink how we provide a superior product at a competitive price. We've made many, many changes including bringing in critical new resource partners who are seasoned tech implementers.
Last year saw the Mu team test multiple sensors and specialty lenses from various manufacturers, design and engineer a good deal of our own unique hardware; architect, write and re-write the software; experiment with dozens of attachment mechanisms as well as design a lens and shutter assembly which has taken considerable cost out of the camera, while at the same time adding functionality.
The team’s newest partner, our Industrial Design/ Mechanical Engineering lead is a perfect complement to the original team’s brilliant physics effort. He has brought to market a myriad of high-technology and consumer products. We are very close to the finish line.
While we have made missteps, we apologize, but more importantly we are also now being held to higher standards internally. You'll see that going forward. We'll update, at the least, every few weeks.
Here are some recent highlights:
Last month, after adopting and re-engineering the core electronics to take advantage of a terrific new sensor:
We achieved “First Heat” with this new sensor using our production electronics.
On achieving this milestone: we are greatly pleased to announce that our research stage for this product has come to a close and the actual product development is quickly proceeding. It now appears we're on track to deliver cameras later this spring as we previously posted.
The smartphone software has been nearly complete for some time now, and we are presently verifying the histographic content of images from the production electronics
Initial cameras are being manufactured using what is called “bridge tooling” which is in-process now. Once we receive first production articles of the electronics and the internal and housing parts, an initial run of “first article” imagers will be built and form our “Alpha” production samples, which will be purposed at field testing, evaluation and outside review. Because these initial units are actually produced via a production process virtually identical to the final production process (not prototyping): we expect the Alpha testing process to proceed rapidly.
This essential process will permit us to make any final adjustments to the housing elements, our firmware and of course our applications. This testing and evaluation process will also allow us to begin to share with you the impressions of the camera from people outside of our company.
Our contract manufacturer, located just outside Chicago, after populating the electronics will be focusing, calibrating and testing products using automated fixtures of our design prior to ultrasonic sealing of the product into its housing.
At that point, the camera with the Instruction Manual, calibration report and accessories will be boxed and palletized by the same contract manufacturer, then sent to our logistics partner for shipment to customers.
As great as our technology is, there is no sensor on earth that can fully measure our appreciation for everyone’s support on this project, and we believe you will love what you see.
As technology developers
we have the advantage of seeing the fruits of our labor on a day-by-day basis in what has been a protracted journey.
we have done a really bad job of keeping you up to date. We are truly sorry and are presently addressing all the open issues.
Regarding communications: our updates will become more regular
Mu Optics has as its mandate: to provide simple and logical thermal imagining technolog
As with any pioneering effort: early missteps, while disappointing to us all, have shone a light on better paths. Indeed: our imager today is far more robust than when we first embarked on this journey.
We've made many, many changes including bringing in critical new resource partners who are seasoned tech implementers.
Last month, after adopting and re-engineering the core electronics to take advantage of a terrific new sensor: We achieved “First Heat” with this new sensor using our production electronics.
Please understand that this was a more difficult step for us to take than to simply push the “offshore” (Easy) button,
and it required a longer research schedule simply because the US model is that of “many specialist vendors” rather than “one jack-of-all-trades monolith”. We strongly believe this will be of strategic benefit to Mu Optics as well as our customers in the future.
As great as our technology is, there is no sensor on earth that can fully measure our appreciation for everyone’s support on this project, and we believe you will love what you see.
There is no sensor on earth that can measure the infinitessimaly small levels of your remaining credibility
We should do a contest.
"Write the next Mu update and win an Mu Thermal Imager".
I predict that Flir One will be on general sale before we see even a picture if real hardware from MuOptics
What baffles me most are the people who respond to these updates with comments like "Thanks for the update, glad to hear you are not compromising quality for speed" and such. I wonder if it's some form of Stockholm syndrome at play with people lapping up the smallest dribble of information as an unnecessary kindness from Mu?
They just found an exciting new source of thermal sensors and need to redesign from scratch... starting with a new prototype of the user interface (or other such irrelevant aspect).
Last month, after adopting and re-engineering the core electronics to take advantage of a terrific new sensor...
...will permit us to make any final adjustments to the housing elements, our firmware and of course our applications.