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Space Cube – the World's Smallest Linux PC

Posted by timothy on from the not-time-cube-note dept.

Barence writes "Meet the Space Cube — the world's smallest fully functional PC. Primarily designed for use in space, it somehow manages to cram a working PC with USB ports, card readers, audio outputs and proprietary interfaces into a tiny cube chassis measuring just two inches square. It runs a basic Linux front-end, which the blogger takes a look at, and there are some great photos of the device being loomed over by everyday objects like coffee mugs and cellphones. It has connections for controlling various electronics used by ESA, NASA and JAXA, but it will also apparently be for sale to the public soon, for use by amateur engineers and robotics clubs."

41 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. Smallest? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Informative

    In terms of volume it looks bigger than a beagle board + CF card. The Beagle board is 3" square, but it can be a lot less tall than this. It also has a much faster CPU and (to me, most importantly, since it means I can actually connect it to a modern monitor) DVI output.

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    1. Re:Smallest? by PinkyDead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Maybe 2 years ago this might have been 'Wow!' - but with the likes of the Eee etc around - the appropriate response is 'Meh.'

      Just some quick back of a fag packet calculation on the Eee put it at 9cm^3. Obviously, a lot more than this with its 5cm^3, but you do get
      * a keyboard
      * a screen
      * 3 usb ports
      * wireless ethernet
      * mouse pad
      * power
      * loads more disk space
      * 3 times the processor
      * etc
      all for 300 quid

      Which if you got rid of would reduce the size right down to a lot less than 5cm^3.

      No disrespect to the folks that put this thing together - and yes I would like one please - but... it's not rockin' my world.

      --
      Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
    2. Re:Smallest? by Atlantis-Rising · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Of course not. And it also doesn't help that the Space Cube, unlike the eeePC, is totally useless by itself.

      It's wonderful to have a tiny computer, but if you need to slap on a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to use it it's really not all that tiny, is it?

      It also doesn't help that the real reason, in general (i.e., other than embedded computing environments) the reason people want small computers is portability, and this thing is hardly portable- sure, it's small and light, but given that it's totally useless on its own, that lack of size and weight is mostly irrelevant.

      Even for use in space, I still think it's a waste of, well, space. Either you're going to connect it to a real computer for display and use (with that big monitor and keyboard) or you're not, and all those jacks are a waste of space.

      --
      "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
    3. Re:Smallest? by quenda · · Score: 5, Funny

      . No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.

    4. Re:Smallest? by Bert64 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Dont forget the power, the space cube requires a power source... while the eee does too long term, it can run for a length of time on it's battery.

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    5. Re:Smallest? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just some quick back of a fag packet calculation on the Eee put it at 9cm^3.

      Isn't the Eee 22.5 cm x 16.5 cm x 3.5 cm? That looks like it comes out to almost 1300 cm^3. Even if my dimensions are wrong, I doubt your ability to fit a keyboard into 9cm without going to chording or something of that nature.

    6. Re:Smallest? by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just some quick back of a fag packet calculation

      Please don't tell us what you used as a writing utensil.

    7. Re:Smallest? by dubbreak · · Score: 3, Informative

      I checked out the beagle board site and they are pretty damn cool. Definitely a lot more fun for playing with at home.

      --
      "If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
  2. Airport security by SystematicPsycho · · Score: 3, Funny

    Would they let you pass with that in an airport?

    --
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    1. Re:Airport security by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes. Just paint it to look like this.

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    2. Re:Airport security by FlatWhatson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's the data-centers and network rooms that should watch out, not the airports.

      These things are perfect for use in MITM attacks.

      --
      BLAM!
    3. Re:Airport security by DanOrc451 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That'd be cool for far more than just airport security, I think that might just be the coolest casemod idea I've ever heard of.

      Since a Rubik's cube is 3"x3"x3", you could literally fit a shell that looked just like a standard Rubik's over it, and have removable squares for the ports....

      The mind boggles at the coolness of that!

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une signature.
  3. Yes but... by Underfoot · · Score: 5, Funny

    does it run... oh... it does? Awsome.

    --
    I mentioned tinker-toys once in a post - now I'm modded down for life.
    1. Re:Yes but... by lastchance_000 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Thanks for not letting us down.

  4. How does a cube... by Kazymyr · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...measure two inches square?

    --
    I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet -Stanislaw Lem
    1. Re:How does a cube... by acdc_rules · · Score: 5, Insightful

      certainly 2x2x2 which is 8 cubic inches. looking at the photo you get the idea the author of the article is innumerate.

    2. Re:How does a cube... by Dancindan84 · · Score: 5, Informative
      From TFA:

      Quite simply, it's one of the smallest PCs in the world, with each side measuring around 2 square inches.

      *Emphasis mine

      --
      "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." - Oscar Wilde
    3. Re:How does a cube... by mlwmohawk · · Score: 3, Funny

      each side

      As if "each side" of a cube needs to be specified. Journalism trumps geometry.

  5. too bad it's not available by utnapistim · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Too bad it's not available to the general public at the moment :(

    --
    Tie two birds together: although they have four wings, they cannot fly. (The blind man)
    1. Re:too bad it's not available by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually this stuff IS available to the general public.

      It's called the PC-104 formfactor and it's been around for decades. Hell I got a 386 with A2D inputs and digital in and outs as well as VGA, CF interface and audio interface in the basement that is slightly larger than that that I used for wearable Computing in the early 90's.

      It's not new or special. It's standard industrial PC gear repackaged and sold with a "Ooooooh space technology" marketing twist.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  6. Another? by amdpox · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's the dealeo with all these ridiculously tiny "fully functional" Linux boxes coming out? Does anyone have a use for them, other than attempting to cram a distributed computing network into a backpack? A machine that needs an external keyboard, screen and power adaptor has no need to be any smaller than a midget-ITX.

    1. Re:Another? by meringuoid · · Score: 4, Insightful
      'Primarily designed for use in space'.

      It is enormously expensive to launch things into orbit. Making a smaller and lighter computer saves on launch costs, and the weight allowance can be used for other things. Then again, presumably you still have to launch a mouse and keyboard and VDU for this thing, so it's not quite as great a saving as it sounds...

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    2. Re:Another? by slim · · Score: 5, Informative

      Then again, presumably you still have to launch a mouse and keyboard and VDU for this thing, so it's not quite as great a saving as it sounds...

      Depends on its job. It could be a headless device for logging/collating/forwarding sensor data, controlling a robot, whatever.

    3. Re:Another? by martinve · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Exactly the same question. My puny phone has 64MB RAM, 369 MHz CPU, screen, battery, built-in speakers, mini-USB port and minimalistic keyboard and internal volume of 66cc (roughly 4 cubic inches). I really do not see the point of that gadget except being really cheap and expendable - and that product is not.

    4. Re:Another? by utnapistim · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not necessarily. You could (for example) have them control all kinds of things with no peripherals attached for most of the time (that is, except in the case when a problem needs to be diagnosed).

      In case of a problem if there's need for diagnostics, you can then plug some small screen+keyboard and you're set to go.

      They're running linux so they should be ideal for monitoring sensors and reporting, transmitting ping/heartbeat signals for any kinds of devices, for controlling hardware, basically for anything that can run autonomously.

      --
      Tie two birds together: although they have four wings, they cannot fly. (The blind man)
  7. What's the big deal with PC compatibility ? by Brane2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This thing is obviously aimed at special applications.

    For these kind of things there are much better solutions than x86 chips. They are smaller, faster, cheaper and more economic than classic HW.

    Take a look at TI's daVinci program, for example, or maybe some small Coldfire from Freescale or maybe some cool Arm from NXP etcetc.

    1. Re:What's the big deal with PC compatibility ? by IDtheTarget · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I would think that the primary "big deal" would be programming talent.

      Way back when, the government used proprietary, government-programmed operating systems and software for stuff, and it rarely worked and it was difficult to find programmers to maintain or update the software. This way, by using a processor that can run a well-known, well-liked, popular OS that has literally millions of enthusiastic programmers available, it shouldn't be difficult to get critical software written or maintained.

      You also won't need to re-invent the wheel for common modules, and your programmers can therefore concentrate on the stuff that is unique to your application of the hardware.

  8. PC Pro is clueless. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Behold Picotux!

    Or, less dramatically, gumstix.

    The spacecube is cute, I admit, I'd be amused to have one; but the notion of it being the smallest is silly.

  9. incorrect summary by yankpop · · Score: 5, Informative

    The second line of the article states that it is one of the smallest computers in the world, not the smallest.

    yp.

  10. Re:Dimensions, anybody? by Van+Cutter+Romney · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dumbass, its a "Space Cube". It should be measured in the fourth dimension as 2 square inches/sec.

    --
    Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
  11. But can it run by joeflies · · Score: 3, Funny

    the Gammima.AG worm? I hear that's popular in space nowadays

  12. NOT a Linux PC. It's a little MIPS based system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is Not a PC.

    From the Manufacturer's web site, it runs a fairly standard MIPS SoC from NEC... a Vr5701. There is not x86 compatible CPU in there. Since it's MIPS, don't expect to just use RPM and install anything, and clearly it doesn't use RedHat. The OS might be derived from RedHat, but I suspect it's just bad journalism (everything Linux is RedHat, right?).

    I'm not saying it's not cool, but it isn't a PC. And I think if you want a Space capable device, you'll have to deal with the radiation hardness yourself. www.gaisler.com has some perhaps more suitable chips that are rad hard (SPARC based).

  13. Cubes from Space? by miserere+nobis · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ahh, so Locutus has a mini-me and this is his home. How cute!

  14. Re:Dimensions, anybody? by rarel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Plus I hear it can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs!

  15. Imagine... by Anita+Coney · · Score: 4, Funny

    Imagine a beowulf cluster of these puppies! You might actually be able to run a GUI.

    --
    If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
    1. Re:Imagine... by cashman73 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wow! You could make several of them in different colors, and your beowulf cluster would look like a gigantic Rubik's Cube! Cool!

  16. $300 - $1500 price jump?! by the_B0fh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The biggest problem is that they're selling it for US$300+ in Japan, but the University wants to sell it for $1500+

    Another good idea dying on the vine caused by greed.

  17. It makes sense! by Rie+Beam · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who'd a thunk that the Borg would have such humble beginnings?

    I have to say, it does explain their relative ease of Assimilation...

  18. Not Space Cube by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dumbass, its a "Space Cube". It should be measured in the fourth dimension as 2 square inches/sec.

    No, that would make it a "Time Cube", and that would be a Bad Thing.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  19. Which is not even true by vrt3 · · Score: 5, Informative

    On http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2008/07/03/introducing-the-space-cube/ (which is linked from the linked article) they mention that the thing is about 2x2x2 inches, so each side is about 4 square inches.

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  20. !2 inches square by RingDev · · Score: 3, Informative

    Each edge is 55mm long, or 2.16". So each side is 4.67 square inches. All together it is 10.1 cubic inches, which would be the appropriate measurement for a cube.

    -Rick

    --
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