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Smart projector puts a touchscreen on your desk, a movie on your wall

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The touch display system can track up to 10 touch points
puppy robotics
The touch display system can track up to 10 touch points
puppy robotics
When throwing down an image onto a flat surface, the Hachi Infinite M1 works pretty much like a tablet
puppy robotics
The touch display technology will work when the image is thrown up on a wall, but the unit will need to be placed up close
puppy robotics
The Hachi Infinite M1 can project a 100-inch diagonal image, though the optimum is about 40 inches
puppy robotics
The smart projector comes with a built-in battery and dual 5-W speakers
puppy robotics
A built-in 8-MP camera and bi-directional microphone make big screen video conferencing possible
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The Hachi Infinite M1 smart projector and included accessories bundled into a hard carry case
puppy robotics
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Back in November 2018, we took a portable smart projector called the puppy cube for a spin, which offered touchscreen interaction. The company behind that image thrower has now announced the global release of a brighter, more powerful ultra-short throw projector dubbed the Hachi Infinite M1.

Like the puppy cube, when the M1 stands upright it projects a 23-inch image down onto a desktop, floor or other flat horizontal surface where its sensors wait for a users hands or fingers to enter the display area. It works pretty much like a tablet in this mode, with users able to tap projected icons to open apps or play games and so on. If you're in the boardroom, you can also interact with presentations thrown onto the wall when the M1 is laid flat on its back – though the unit will need to be pushed against the wall or screen for the touch display to work.

If you want to watch movies, the 720p projection system can throw up to 100 inches, but given that resolution it's probably best to stick to around 40 for sharpness (as we found with the puppy cube). There's auto keystone correction and autofocus – though manual focus adjustment is possible via the included remote. The Pro version offers 600 ANSI lumens center brightness, while the standard model manages 500.

The Hachi Infinite M1 can project a 100-inch diagonal image, though the optimum is about 40 inches
puppy robotics

The unit features a 5,000-mAh battery, is home to dual 5-W speakers, has Snapdragon 670 processor brains and runs Android 9.0 with a custom user interface. The Pro comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of solid state storage, and an included GPS positioning system, and the standard M1 gets 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. And with the help of a built-in 8-megapixel camera and bi-directional speaker, the smart projector can also serve as a wall-filling video conferencing solution.

Connectivity shapes up as 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI 1.4 input and DisplayPort 1.4 output, there's a USB-C port for data input, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack for private listening.

Originally showcased at CES 2020 back in January, the standard M1 is on sale now for US$999. We've no info on pricing or release for the M1 Pro as of writing.

Product page: Hachi Infinite M1

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5 comments
paul314
Do they have any real images of the device in operation? All the illustrations here appear to have parts cut and pasted, unless fingers now only cast shadows from non-projector light sources.
Karmudjun
What a teaser! This looks like something that might make all our virtual meetings a better when working from home. Focusing on the screen means I'm not looking at my laptop camera, but if I can afford 2 (or maybe they have this function built in) I could work from a lab table while casting the virtual display on a facing wall and remaining in full eye contact with the camera. Can't wait for the information they have yet to provide you!
MemoriaTechnica
I've been seeing stuff like this since the mid 90s, however, this one is bigger than most. I'll be surprised if it makes it makes it past the first production version.
kwalispecial
But does the touchscreen work on top of a pile of papers? Because if a keyboard isn't reserving that space on my desk, there WILL be a pile of papers there...
Ben Wah
Chinese vaporware