miniBUG

The miniBUG modular computing platform is in development at Bug Labs in conjunction with Robert Faludi of NYU's ITP program and Dan Steingart of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the City College of New York. And with the help of two students, Jeff Kirsch at the School of Visual Arts and Jarek Lupinski at Stevens Institute of Technology.
To learn more, please view the presentation of the initial innovation of miniBUG:

research

User Studies

User studies were conducted to find Critical Moments of user interaction with other BUG products. Critical Moments which the user defined as an integral experience which caused them to use or dismiss the platform:

• Instant gratification style feedback: Users should be able to guess what is happening after a user action. The instant feedback is a confirmation that the user was correct with their guess. In instances where the feedback was not appropriate, users reported feeling confused, anxious, or annoyed.


• Centralized services: We view centralized services as a dashboard interface accessible online. The dashboard conveys the status of the device and allows the user to receive simple feedback and updates from their unit from various locations.


• Web services: Web services allow cloud integration for applications and data to be viewed and manipulated. The web service allows multiple functions of the device to be accessible for modification through the device IP. The web service integration adds a convenience factor to alter the state of your device without being in the same physical location.


• Simple wireless protocols: All wireless protocols have hoops to jump through, some hoops are more intuitive than others. The more simplistic the first connection the faster users will be to seeing meaningful data from their web enabled device, much related to the instant gratification style feedback.


• Click through actions to achieve goals: By having page by page online instructions, each click through gets the user closer to reaching their goal. The click through action to an expected next step gives the user confidence that their path is correct.

Methods

Methods of user research include customer interviews through email, phone, video chat, and in person. Data was also collected from customer surveys and statistics from our support team.

Publications

Gibb, A. Faludi, R., and Steingart, D. 2011 MiniBUG: From Concept to Production in a Prototyping System. Proceedings of TEI ‘11.

technical specifications

Here are the technical specs we considered necessary for a user to build a successful prototype and product with using miniBUG. As we iterate the design the specs will most likely change along with it.

Size and weight
Height: 0.75 inches
Width: 2.55 inches
Depth: 2.55 inches
Weight: 2.3 ounces

Processor
ARM XXXX running at XXX MHz
Do you have an opinion on the processor we should use? Email alicia [at] buglabs.net and she will listen to you.

Capacity
2GB System MicroSD included (expandable up to 1×32GB using User SD slot)

Input and output
General purpose pins
Mini-USB port can be used in Host or OTG mode
1 MicroSD slots; one each for system and user
1 available female slot for BUGmodules (includes I2C, I2S, SPI, UART and JTAG/ICE support)
4 status LEDs (i.e. WiFi, ZigBee, battery & status)
On/Off button
User programmable button
temperature sensor
light sensor

Online access
All features controllable via online interface
Standard I/O monitoring and control
Browser-based (Python?) code development IDE
Online web application development engine and hosting
Example code and systems for quick start projects
Piloting and production end-to-end support online

Wireless
802.11b/g Wi-Fi (supports mesh, AP, ad-hoc, managed modes)
ZigBee 2.0 wireless technology

Power and battery
Charging via power adapter
Built-in rechargeable 3.7V, 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery

System requirements
Available 802.11b/g WLAN or ZigBee network
Linux: kernel 2.6.31 or later
PC: Windows XP or later
Mac: OS 10.4 or later
Internet access