Arduino

The electronics hobby is more fun than ever. You can buy some very sophisticated devices to control almost anything you want to build. One of the most interesting is a microcontroller called Arduino, an Italian design.

"Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments."

Open-source? Yup. The design can be freely copied and modified, just like Linux. Strange idea. So how do they make a buck? Well, they manufacture and distribute the board, but apparently their main revenue comes from consulting. Great article on the company in a recent Wired magazine. Wired also did an article on the Arduino board itself earlier this year.

There have been dozens of versions made in Italy and hundreds made by others. The Diecimila (after they made 10,000 Arduinos) and the current version, the Duemilanove, cost about $35.00 in the USA. A third-party version with Bluetooth goes for $150.

One example of a project that several people have tackled is a toy Segway, this one built with Legos. As I recall, the parts for it totaled about $350, so the hobby is not for the faint of pocket. But it's an incredible learning tool for schools and educational cooperatives like Studio Bricolage, the grown-up version of Leonardo's Basement in Minneapolis.

Wow, it's great to be a kid these days!