Bug Labs’ BUG does everything

Robert Hallock 9 Jan, 2009 at 1:43pm ET Article published in Tech

We walked up to Bug Labs’ booth in the Sands Expo Center, and we asked them “well, what does it do?” Marketing rep Mehrshad Mansouri said “everything.” Of course, we were wondering just what the hell “everything” meant, but he wasn’t even kidding.

The Bug Labs’ bug is like LEGO for electronics. It all starts with the BUG Base unit which can accept a variety of modules like GPS, camera, sound, LCD, and more. The modules are smaller than a deck of cards, and a fully-equipped BUG Base unit isn’t much larger than a few chocolate bars stacked on top of one another.

The BUG Base runs on an open source software that allows users to write new applications for the existing modules. The company has also open sourced the hardware specs for their modules, so people can actually go out and use inexpensive parts to build and and program brand new modules to suit their purpose.

The BUG does everything. No, seriously.

In the above picture, you can see the BUG Base on the lower left with a bunch of modules configured for the unit. In the picture you can see the GPS unit, the LCD, the camera, and more. At the top of the picture, you can see the BUG unit configured with the camera, GPS and LCD modules so it works as a digital camera.

They have a ton of other new modules available as well, and this thing is really god damn cool. Imagine the possibilities of open source electronics lego.

Comments

9 Jan 2009 ~ 1:54pm kryyst Only problem is it's big bulky and not really a cost savings, not to mention ugly as sin. It's a cool idea but just doesn't seem practical for most normal situations.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 2:29pm Kwitko How do you know there's no cost savings when you don't even know the price? And I'm sure that's not a production release you're looking at. It's open source, which is awesome. There are times where I wish I had a compact camera when I don't want to bring my whole SLR outfit. Looking forward to seeing what BUG can do.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 2:41pm Khaos

kryyst wrote:

Only problem is it's big bulky and not really a cost savings, not to mention ugly as sin. It's a cool idea but just doesn't seem practical for most normal situations.

Are LEGOS practical?

If you take the tact that this is essentially Technics-meets-technology, then it looks like a great idea on the surface. If it gets more people programming and working with electronics, it can't be bad.

Open source is also win.

I will probably pick one of these up whenever they become available just to play with it. Very cool stuff.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 3:14pm Snarkasm BUG is not particularly new, we've heard about them since 07. Their prices are listed, and these are, in fact, production pieces, Kwitko. Check it out - http://www.buglabs.net/products.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 3:18pm Tim So what do these things do?
9 Jan 2009 ~ 3:22pm kryyst

Snarkasm wrote:

BUG is not particularly new, we've heard about them since 07. Their prices are listed, and these are, in fact, production pieces, Kwitko. Check it out - http://www.buglabs.net/products.

Bingo
9 Jan 2009 ~ 3:25pm kryyst

Kwitko wrote:

How do you know there's no cost savings when you don't even know the price? And I'm sure that's not a production release you're looking at. It's open source, which is awesome. There are times where I wish I had a compact camera when I don't want to bring my whole SLR outfit. Looking forward to seeing what BUG can do.

Snark already beat me to my response, with the fact that it's not new, they are production and they having pricing.

But I'll add that if you want a compact camera go buy a compact camera. Why would you want to buy a $250 base the size of a compact camera and then have to buy another camera add on, that's not going to be as good of a compact camera.

Open source is awesome, but not everything benefits from needing open sourcing.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 3:27pm kryyst

Khaos wrote:

Are LEGOS practical?

If you take the tact that this is essentially Technics-meets-technology, then it looks like a great idea on the surface. If it gets more people programming and working with electronics, it can't be bad.

Open source is also win.

I will probably pick one of these up whenever they become available just to play with it. Very cool stuff.

It's a cool toy the end. You want open source and practical pickup an android phone.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 4:13pm Kwitko

Snarkasm wrote:

BUG is not particularly new, we've heard about them since 07. Their prices are listed, and these are, in fact, production pieces, Kwitko. Check it out - http://www.buglabs.net/products.

I stand corrected, but I still like it.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 4:20pm TiberiusLazarus

Tim wrote:

So what do these things do?

Hope this helps
9 Jan 2009 ~ 4:22pm Kwitko Yeah, but what do these things *do*?
9 Jan 2009 ~ 4:36pm kryyst They do everything a normal device would do only clunkier and more costly and by being less slick.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 4:47pm Snarkasm They're modular devices you can make do pretty much anything, designed mostly for a prototyping or proof of concept usage. They're awesome for that - they're just meant to be a techie's playground to show off what he's dreaming up, not for a walkaround device... unless you're a HUGE techie.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 5:44pm Thrax Given that they can do anything you can engineer and code, I'd say they can officially do everything. The module connector is a 5 cent part.

As of right now, they have some 15 modules for sale with another 80 planned.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 7:35pm Tim Well I guess I'm not techie enough, because I don't see how they could benefit me in any particular way.
9 Jan 2009 ~ 8:20pm Kwitko

kryyst wrote:

They do everything a normal device would do only clunkier and more costly and by being less slick.

But I still don't know what they do. Do they do things or just stuff?
9 Jan 2009 ~ 9:03pm BuddyJ They do stuff and things Kwitko. Also, you can hax them to do jobs, work, game, play, etc.

And yeah, the concept isn't new, but the modules they were showing were.

Tim, you could use it as a digicam, web cam, voice recorder, beat box, force feedback, "back massager", personal video player to make your webcast and watch 80s hair band videos.