Open source is moving beyond the real worlds of business and consumer systems into the more experimental sphere of personal gadgetry.

Start-up Bugs Labs (http://www.buglabs.net/) has said it plans to base the software element of its forthcoming range of "plug-together" hardware modules on Linux with Java and OSGi (http://www.osgi.org/) used further up the software stack.

Bugs Labs is aiming the product at engineers who want to experiment with new programmable hardware devices. The BUGbase - the heart of the product - provides an ARM microprocessor, USB ports, Wi-fi and a rechargeable battery.

The first in what Bugs Labs says will be a growing range of plug-in BUGmodules are expected before the end of this year. They include a digital camera, a mini touch screen, a GPS module and a motion detector. In 2008 it plans to offer a mini keyboard and an audio connection board.

The news comes after Microsoft released an upgrade (http://blogs.msdn.com/msroboticsstudio/archive/2007/10/06/samples-update-for-microsoft-robotics-studio-1-5.aspx) to its Windows-based Microsoft Robotics Studio last month. Microsoft last year singed a deal (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-20MSRoboticsStudioPR.mspx) with Lego to provide software for the toymaker's Mindstorm (http://mindstorms.lego.com/) robot kit to help rejuvenate (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801717.html) the line of buildable, programmable machines that debuted in 1998.®

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