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A Hardware Mashup Device Running Linux

Posted by Soulskill on from the diversity-breeds-creativity dept.

jonniee writes "Mike Riley over at Dr. Dobb's takes a look at 'The BUG,' from Bug labs. It's a Linux-based, Java-programmable electronic base with I/O ports for connecting BUGmodules — individual modules that supply additional functionality to the BUGbase. Four BUGmodules currently exist: a color LCD screen, a combined motion detector/accelerometer, GPS, and a 2-megapixel color camera. You can think of it as 'electronic LEGOs' that let you build different devices depending on how you plug the modules together."

3 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Try Arduino, or build your own by ghoti · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Absolutely! Arduino is a great little platform, and much more hackable. There's a shield with a little breadboard where you can build tons of interesting things to interface with. There's also one with an OLED display, and things like GPS modules are easy to connect. I'd take the "raw hardware" appeal of the Arduino over the polished, over-engineered flash of the BUG any day.

    --
    EagerEyes.org: Visualization and Visual Communication
  2. Ideas by moniker127 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Its a step in the right direction. I saw this dealio on a youtube video a while back. I think it would be better if they figured out how to shrink the modules, and the price, but aside from that, great product. Really, if you think about it, this isnt like a cell phone. You can use this thing as a streaming wireless web camera, you can use it as a high def picture camera that attached GPS tags... you can use it for all sorts of industrial and consumer applications. 350 is not a lot to pay for that.

  3. Modular electronic is the way to go by houbou · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I could be wrong, but to me, the Bug is the beginning of what could be true electronic modular assembly.

    The ability to hook up various parts and get them to function in a very specific way, is how, I hope things will become over time.

    Of course, hooking up the devices will also means a glue language, allowing these devices to interact, and that's where Java kicks ass.

    But as I saw it right now, this Bug has a lot of potential, but, it also has a long way to go.

    I might buy one of these, when they have more parts that can be hooked up, because right now, from what I saw, it doesn't do all that much, at least, not enough for me to be interested even as a hobby, but still, it's technology worth keeping an eye on, as far as I'm concerned :)