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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."

15 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 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.

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    2. Re:Smallest? by quenda · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  2. Yes but... by Underfoot · · Score: 5, Funny

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

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

    Yes. Just paint it to look like this.

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  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

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  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

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

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

  11. 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

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  12. 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!

  13. 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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