Open Source Hardware

November 2, 2007

Sticking to the theme of fun stuff for the holidays and thinking back to my childhood.

Growing up, I was always into “mechano” sets, wooden gliders, etc. However, I haven’t done any real “making” for a long time other than putting together computers and some music gear. Well, that might just be changing (assuming my wallet has sufficient cash)

The new Bug Labs website is up. It’s slick, it makes you want to spend money. It makes you feel like Gollum in a room full of rings.

So what is Bug Labs all about? Their main product is the BUG

and will be available sometime over the next couple of months.

BUG is a collection of easy-to-use, open source hardware modules, each capable of producing one or more Web services. These modules snap together physically and the services connect together logically to enable users to easily build, program and share innovative devices and applications. With BUG, we don’t define the final products - you do.

The BUG comes in the following components

BUGbase is a fully programmable and “hackable” Linux computer and the foundation of the BUG. The specs are pretty cool as well (screenshot and specs below)

BUGmodules are the functional components that can be used to add capabilities to your BUG device. Reminds me a bit of another piece of hardware I have always wanted to own, a real modular synthesizer. Example components include a GPS module, a touchscreen LCD, and apparently sometime next year, a Teleporter.

Software is a core component of the BUG as well, with a cool looking SDK (see screenshot below)

It is pretty obvious that in the long run, Bug Labs wants to build an online collaborative community around the BUG SDK. BUGnet, which has not yet been launched, “allows developers to connect with others, share information, and jointly build products or services”. Will it be successful? Will it be a novelty with the maker crowd? Who knows, but the idea is certainly a cool one and somewhat analogous (in a very narrow sense) to the various APIs currently on the web today.

Does this have anything to do with science. Well, you have GPS, you have touch screens, you have the ability to plug into various APIs. I can already think of a couple of need devices that could be used in the lab or around the house. Maybe I should build a Bioscreencast Bug. I am hoping that the price is within reach. Who wants an iPhone with something like this to buy.

Further reading
Engadget
TechCrunch
Make Magazine

Also worth checking out: The Chumby, although it is not half as drool-worthy as the BUG

Technorati Tags: Bug Labs, Hardware Hacking, Open Source Hardware, DIY