Though projectors can certainly be described as stylish, they can rarely (if ever) be seen as cute. But that's exactly what we have with a portable laser projector called Mimono, with its alien-minibot looks, bendable legs and soft outer body.
The brainchild of company founder Christian Rossell and being produced by a team across Antigua, Guatemala and China, the Mimono 2D MEMS scanning projector can throw 1,080 x 720-pixel visuals at up to 150 diagonal inches, but at only 120 lumens from the 5-channel laser diode light source.
That's not going to compete with larger portable models like the CineBeam PF510Q or MoGo 2 Pro but the Mimono does pack a built-in 4,000-mAh battery for up to 4 hours of viewing away from a wall outlet.
And it has legs too – four bendy ones that can be manipulated for placement on uneven surfaces or even wrapped around a tree branch for campsite or backyard entertainment. A fifth "limb" sits on top of the device for use as a carry handle, hook or stabilizer. Onboard autofocus, keystone correction and auto image flip should also make for easy setup.
Content from a smartphone, laptop, TV box and so on is input via a single HDMI port rather than cooked-in Wi-Fi, though Bluetooth has been included for audio output to a BT speaker of choice.
The body and legs are wrapped in a silicone onesie that's available in different color options, and movie-watchers shouldn't be bothered by annoying fan noise as the projector doesn't have one – relying on an aluminum chassis with heatsink to keep things cool during operation.
The Mimono – which has a body footprint of 4.7 x 3.2 in (12 x 8.5 cm), stands 10.5 in (27 cm) tall and weighs in at 420 g (15 oz) – is currently raising production funds on Kickstarter, where perks start at US$679. The usual crowdfunding cautions apply, but if all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start from August. The video below has more.
Source: Mimono