Mui is a stylish touch-sensitive wood panel you can use to control your home

The superstitious say “touch wood” to bring them luck. Touch the wood surface of mui ($599), though, and you get the internet – or at least bits of it. And that’s because this unassuming wall-mounted wooden panel temporarily becomes a smart controller when touched, but then fades back to being a refined hunk of tree when you’re done. In a world of glowing glass displays, the notion of making technology invisible is welcome. And via IFTTT, mui can connect to existing smart home services, over and above its built-in messaging, news, and weather forecast capabilities. One for getting yourself a bit more connected to nature, then, rather than gawping at whatever new shiny tablet or smartphone is already stealing too much of your attention.