Arduino: The prototyping computer

You probably have heard about Arduino in the news from some incredible underwater exploration device to a reality show … But what is it and how is it revolutionizing the way that we create electronic gizmos and gadgets.

Arduino, or Genuino outside America, is device used to create outputs (i.e motor running, LED turning on) from a single input (Twitter post, button press, sensors). This platform is famous for being open source and very easy to create anything you need — and cool stuff that you have probably never thought of.  The range of products are far reaching from the basic and beginning Arduino Uno to more advanced Gemma which can be used to create incredibly advanced developments like the light-up wearable dress in the video below.

The programming language may seem daunting, but it is easy to figure out. The main programming language is based on a lower level version of Java. If you learn Java programming, you have a solid background to program Arduino. The starter board is under $30 and a complete starter kit is available to make 15 distinct projects for around $100. If you wish to purchase any of these products or learn more information visit https://www.arduino.cc/.