Every year, Toye Onikoyi and his girlfriend make gifts for each other instead of buying something for their anniversary. Little did he know that one of those gifts, an innovative smart mirror, would turn into a business venture.
The Muse Mirror uses advanced camera technology and machine learning to monitor a user’s skin and hair and provides recommendations to improve their care. The mirror, which is set to launch this spring, will come with its own app store featuring video tutorials on beauty, makeup, hair and fashion.
Onikoyi described his creation as the “Peloton of beauty.”
"I decided to use my engineering skills and make [my girlfriend] something that she can use everyday, something that will make her days more enjoyable and efficient," said Onikoyi, who studied software engineering at the University of Rhode Island. "The first version of The Muse Mirror was simply built by hand, from wood, evolving to where it is today as a patent-pending product."
At first, all of the pieces, except the actual glass mirror, were purchased from Lowe’s, Onikoyi said. The Muse Mirror took several years and seven iterations before bringing it to the manufacturing stage.
“I worked with another local company to provide frame and back casing. We spent hours of brainstorming trying to get the size and form right,” he said. “We wanted the software in the mirror to also be original, starting from the operating system all the way to the different applications on the mirror."
While The Muse Mirror will offer fitness programs like other smart mirrors on the market, its differentiating factor is the broad range of personal assistance it can provide.
"We look to help people with their daily routines, as well as connect them with makeup artists, skincare professionals, fashion stylists, and so on to provide on-demand routines that can assist in time management and wellness of mind, body and spirit," he said. "Our technology allows users to try on different products virtually, such as makeup, hairstyles and even clothing."
The mirror is the first product from the Muse Interactive company. The Providence-based team developing the mirror consists of four Nigerian-American, URI graduates, including Onikoyi, Kelechi Agwunobi, Etebom Samuel and Larry Adigun.
The company will launch a pre-order for the interactive mirror on March 4 with a delivery date set for this June. Onikoyi said they are looking to fundraise a seed round in Q1 and Q2 and add at least two more team members to Muse Interactive by the year's end.
“After the launch, we plan to continue marketing online as well as in-person events, traveling on a press tour in major cities so groups of people can experience The Muse Mirror in person,” Onikoyi said. “It is truly a product that once you see it in person, your perspective will be changed on how far smart home tech can go.”
