Taiwan startup develops laser engraver for general users

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Muherz, a Taiwan-based start-up, is aiming to bring laser engraving to the masses with its Kickstarter-funded device Cubiio.

Built in the shape of a cube, Cubiio can be used to engrave images saved on a memory card onto leather, paper, wood, and even food.

Hung Shao-kang, a mechanical engineering professor at Taiwan's National Chiao Tung University, developed the device with some of his students over the course of a year.

"From the beginning, we wanted to design it as a product that the general public can use," said Hung.

Cubiio uses two electrically-controlled mirrors to guide the direction and movement of the laser beam.

The laser works on "slightly convex or concave" surfaces, Hung said, as long as the objects are placed 15-16 cm (5.9-6.2 inches) from the laser source.

Cubiio is set to be shipped to its crowdfunding backers in March 2018. Hung said users will be able to send images for engraving directly to the device using an app on their phones.