The Product Development Journey of Muro Box N20
Welcome to read our product development journey stage by stage!
This story shows why we decided to move back to Taiwan after having a startup dream in the US, and how we found the market potential of innovating a mechanical music box with modern technology.
Dr. Feng shares his maker’s story, which records how a firmware engineer, without any prior knowledge in mechanics, designed Muro Box from scratch. This story focuses on the design process of the mechanical part of Muro Box from zero to one.
After the mechanical design was settled down, we spent a lot of time designing the prototypes to preserve the unique resonance of the traditional music box. This story demonstrates how constructive feedback from potential customers helped us design the prototypes of Muro Box in 2017-2018.
We have studied users’ needs and habits carefully when designing our mobile app for Muro Box, the world’s first “app-controlled” music box. This story explains how our UI designer and music composers helped us define and refine the features in developing our app.
After the first crowdfunding success, we have collaborated with factories to refine each part of Muro Box in order to enhance its sound quality. This story records the various obstacles we overcame when producing Muro Box, a smart but sophisticated music box.
Muro Box has broken through the traditional limits of melody speed and single-note repetition in music boxes. After more than a year of experimentation, we have unlocked the secret behind the “damper” design!
Everything happens within a delicate 0.1mm range at the tip of the comb, and the human ear is sensitive enough to detect this 0.1mm difference.
In order to meet the dual requirements of strong shock absorption and low noise, we continuously worked on development. This technology has elevated Taiwan-made music boxes beyond global durability standards, allowing them to withstand more than 1,000 hours of continuous playback.
We designed a secret device, “the pin stopper,” to maintain the sustaining sound effect of Muro Box. With this special device, Muro Box can play unlimited fast melodies and keep each note sound longer. This story explains why designing a good pin stopper is a great challenge.
Muro Box, the world’s first app-controlled music box, is developed and produced in Taiwan.
You may not know that, in the past, about 40 percent of music box movements in the world were actually made in Taiwan.
The function of the metal base in Muro Box is to “transmit” the vibration from the comb to the wooden box. It significantly affects the sound quality, therefore, the material, size, shape, and thickness of the metal base went through a series of experiments.
The following story tells you the dilemma that the Muro Box team was facing between 2018, when Muro Box had the first ZecZec crowdfunding campaign in Taiwan, till 2021 the last batch of Muro Box was shipped to our Indiegogo backers.
Our music arranger, Ms. Hung-Yin Liu, has produced more than one hundred melodies for Muro Box customers, with challenges and emotional moments along the way. After receiving feedback from the customers, and reading the stories behind their customized melodies, Ms. Liu then realized that what she did was not just arranging music, but recreating the special memories to help customers convey their love for their loved ones.
N20 Lite Go Update#1
The upcoming new N20 model in our 2025 crowdfunding campaign will introduce even more creative features, redefining what a music box can do! Discover new and exciting ways to enjoy music, bringing surprise and delight to your everyday life.
N20 Lite Go Update#2
This update includes the points:
1. Explanation of the current design direction for the new N20 model (N20 Lite Go).
2. Summary of the results from the previous Update #1, presenting overall opinion trends from both existing and potential customers, including responses from both Chinese and English-speaking audiences.
N20 Lite Go Update#3
Whether you want to take the music box on your travels, gift it to someone special, are an engineer or teacher looking to design new ways to interact with music, or a maker who wants to DIY your own music box design, the all-new N20 Lite Go is here to make all your wishes come true!
N20 Lite Go Update#4
The Muro Box-N20 Lite Go’s wooden case and resonance box are crafted for both portability and rich sound. Using birch plywood for better resonance and stability, the design reflects our commitment to quality and detail in app-controlled music box innovation.
N20 Lite Go Update#5
The development story of the Muro Box-N20 Lite Go music box reveals the challenges and reflections behind our pursuit of an affordable version. From the idea of a built-in battery to NFC features, touch controls, and LED lighting, we strived to create an emotionally resonant and innovative experience. Although the product was ultimately canceled due to high production costs and insufficient pre-orders, this journey helped us clarify the future direction of the Muro Box brand and deepened our appreciation for the trust and support of every user.
The Muro Box N40 will have 40 notes on a chromatic scale to become your ideal music box instrument! Check out our previous and latest updates about Muro Box N40 to understand how we designed it based on our customers’ suggestions.
This new model is expected to start its Kickstarter campaign in 2023! Welcome to sign up its news from the box below.
N20 Lite Go Update#3
Whether you want to take the music box on your travels, gift it to someone special, are an engineer or teacher looking to design new ways to interact with music, or a maker who wants to DIY your own music box design, the all-new N20 Lite Go is here to make all your wishes come true!