As soon as you see the Mu plug you can’t help but be wowed by the pure genius of its design. It only measures in at a slim 1cm and the design allows the two bottom live and neutral power pins to rotate by 90 degrees, thus halving the size of the plug’s body. Matthew Judkins, Choi's business partner, says: "The problem was then bloody obvious and you kind of go through a process saying how does one solve it. When you look at the plug, the problem is that you have got three pins and they are in a triangular formation and it is fairly obvious what to do then – you just make them flat and in a line and that gets rid of the bulk issue.". The whole time that this has been a sketch to [being] a product, we have thought about the moment that this will be a licensing play for these guys because that is how we make money," he said. Talks are ongoing with smartphone companies at present while the firm behind the Mu expects to be in profit in the last three months of this year. Judkins and Choi each own one third of the venture while investors have another third. The Mu USB Adapters are startlingly compact and hotly tipped as the next big thing to hit the world of functional design, folding flat for storage, reducing the overall plug size by over 70%. The company has launched an integrated USB transformer and has an ambitious and exciting product pipeline.

The Mu, named by a crowd sourced campaign, is a Folder Plug. Following the original launch of the product, Made in Mind has developed further members of the Mu family based on the Min-Kyo Choi’s original folded plug concept. I have been looking at the Mu Duo which combines the Made in Mind’s innovative and patented PVT technology that allows a standard UK 3-pin plug to be reduced by over 70% in size, with a pair of USB 2.0 ports for attaching devices for charging purposes using the folded plug concept. It is unlikely however that the foldable plug will be seen at the end of cable for a table lamp or on a toaster in the near future. There is no problem there to solve, it seems. "If you are never going to use it, like in the wall, then there is no reason to have a folding plug, only when you are lugging it around," he said. What makes it different The company comprises an experienced team with design, engineering, product development and business expertise. All team members come from the Royal College of Art or Imperial College. PVTis specific technology developed to allow a three-pin electrical plug to a pivot, enabling the live and neutral pins to rotate. By using PVTtechnology, the MU reduces the standard UK plug by over 70% in size, whilst still being operational in the open and folded positions. PVT, a technology that is central to the MUUSB Charging Adapter and the MUrange of products, has taken 3 years to develop and is protected by six global patents. Award winning design and concept with international recognition

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As all other gadgets have become thinner and lighter over the years, designer Min-Kyu Choi has now made sure the Mu plug also follows suit. The Mu folding plug’s compact and simplistic design, makes it portable for those that travel a lot or simply want something on hand during the day. I was at first encouraged by Apple’s 20w charger with some very elegantly folding pins. I thought “Surely Apple has used this design for all of their chargers!”. But no. That is the highest wattage charger they make in a folding design. Anything higher than that is a massive macbook charger, with or without bulky pins. At the same time as grappling with the engineering questions of whether it could actually be made, the pair also considered whether they should make a plug that could fit on the end of any cable or make a charger, which could then be sold at a premium price and the design licensed out. They went down the charger route. "We have a business where we make and sell stuff and make a margin and we have a licensing business where we supply the solution for someone else to put with their product," says Judkins.

The original Folding Plug concept was the brainchild of brilliant product designer and illustrator Min-Kyu Choi. Unveiled in 2009, the Folding Plug concept became a viral phenomenon winning the much coveted Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award in 2010. The product at the core of the company is a Folding Plug that transforms from a bulky three-pin plug into a portable, hassle-free unit ideal for people on the go. When not in use the Folding Plug transforms into a fraction of its original size. Tl;dr: There aren’t enough folding UK/Ireland chargers, and the ones we have are crap. Manufacturers, please make more and better ones.What you do end up with is a device that looks good and will fit in your bag without digging into your other gadgets or getting tangled. Plus, it's something that looks cool and you'll be keen to show it off to any mates who are also impressed with innovative design. The commercial lead has an executive MBA from Imperial College, whilst the main designer of the plug holds an MA in Product Design from the RCA.