>The gist: I'm basically applying encapsulation to circuitry, so that gadgets, in this case a Linux-running computer, can be built in a quick, mix-and-match style. Fast hardware prototyping becomes significantly easier, so that effort can be concentrated on the software development. For example, on the page linked below, I put a few demos such as a rapidly implemented automatic plant-watering device.
>The (3D-printed) boxes of the blocks are openable, and repairable of course when needed. Also playing an important role in this particular video is the compact Raspberry Pi Compute Module, which contains the minimum brains of the full Raspberry Pi board.
> Fast hardware prototyping becomes significantly easier, so that effort can be concentrated on the software development.
There's no doubt that it's very appealing as a product and a huge amount of work and love has been into it, but I'm struggling to understand the use case. People who spend time doing hardware prototyping, or software development for custom hardware, surely aren't going to be fazed by just using an actual Raspberry Pi (with Wi-Fi, bluetooth, MicroSD slot, dual HDMI out, Ethernet, USB (2 and 3), etc. already built in) and using a couple of pre-built HATs, or some DuPont connectors to a peripheral from an established provider. You would end up with something much easier to scale up or reproduce, probably for much less money. To my mind, the major benefit seems to be the encapsulation - effectively automatic custom housings.
My guess is that it isn't for "People who spend time doing hardware prototyping, or software development for custom hardware"
It's for people who are interested in (using an example provided on the site) in making an "automated soap dispenser" and don't know where to start.
I'll take me as a random example. I can code a little bit (if gun's to my head and I have an O'Reilly book to hand). I bought a 3D printer and spent months happily playing with that which then lead me into Fusion 360. I bought an Arduino play-kit and spent a few evenings swearing as I blew up LEDs, learnt what resistors did, then realized I couldn't tell the f'ers apart due to colour blindness.
I've sunk many many hours into the first 5% of some skills that could possibly all together let me create a product - but I'm not even close.
I saw this project as providing a physical equivalent of say "block coding" that's used to teach children. It's not going to give you the best/most-efficient/cheapest result - but starting from zero, it gives you a decent chance of making something functional and looking at something useful that you made.
(and after that you can do the industrial design, create your injection moulds, design the custom PCB, ramp up a Chinese factory, and ship your product in lovely matte-card boxes - if you so wish)
I totally understand where you're coming from and would put myself in a similar position. The creator of the project highlighted faster hardware prototyping as the major feature, which is what I was responding to.
To be fair, without seeing the software, it's hard to know how much easier a project would be as a whole. But just to take that soap dispenser example, there's already some shortcuts taken - using a glue gun, Duplo and a perfectly shaped arm on a motor. If you had that, a Raspberry Pi and a couple of "ready to go" HATs from reputable suppliers who provide code examples, I don't think there would be a huge difference.
I remember when Google presented their Ada(?) modular phone concept, I was really excited. But the commenters on HN were really convincingly telling me and the others that liked the concept that it couldn't happen. Basically unsolvable problem and the phone would be too thick. And right, Google immediately gave up. So it was impossible I thought. And now you see this, made by one guy I think. It was not impossible at all.
half the times people say something is impossible here on HN, what they're actually meaning is "it's not economically viable" or "doesn't make sense from a business perspective". It is not that that modular phone couldn't be built, it is that you couldn't make it in a way that made business sense for Google. There is lot of great tech there which is not used in products because of similar reasons.
Well, they were technically correct... it's technically impossible for google to do this, just like it's technically impossible for them to build an RSS reader... or manufacture a phone in this country instead of China... or (name cancelled google project of your choice)...
This reminds me somewhat of Project Ara[0], that modular phone project Google was looking into. Interesting to see a similar concept (albeit more niche) being built out further, especially since it's not tied to any major company. Looks quite cool.
It's cool, the video is clean and it's an impressive piece of hardware overall but what's the real usefulness about this product? It looks fragile and it'll cost a lot more than anything you can attach to a raspberry pi.
With a normal computer you may want to swap the screen or adding a Bluetooth dongle. But in this case, you buy one of this boards to make a project, you don't buy it for the sake of it and a few months later think what you are going to do with it.
>The gist: I'm basically applying encapsulation to circuitry, so that gadgets, in this case a Linux-running computer, can be built in a quick, mix-and-match style. Fast hardware prototyping becomes significantly easier, so that effort can be concentrated on the software development. For example, on the page linked below, I put a few demos such as a rapidly implemented automatic plant-watering device.
>The (3D-printed) boxes of the blocks are openable, and repairable of course when needed. Also playing an important role in this particular video is the compact Raspberry Pi Compute Module, which contains the minimum brains of the full Raspberry Pi board.