What is Arduino?

What is it?

Many parents and children have heard the name “Arduino”, but they may still be confused about what it actually is. This mysterious little device sounds quite sophisticated. Is it meant for engineers? Or is it a strange game console?

Actually, it is a magical tool that can ignite children’s creativity!

Today, let’s unveil the mystery and see what treasures Arduino holds and why it can transform children from play into “little inventors”.

Are you ready? Let’s explore together!

Let’s start with two little stories:

An Arduino enthusiast designed a sensor and automatic alarm system for his grandfather, who has mobility issues. When his grandfather falls, this device can automatically send out an alarm to help him contact the hospital in time.

Another group of Arduino enthusiasts installed a sensor at a crosswalk near their school during the COVID-19 pandemic. This sensor can detect the direction in which pedestrians want to cross the street and automatically press the traffic light button, reducing the risk of contact with the button.

Technically, Arduino is a programmable logic controller. It is an open-source electronic platform based on flexible and easy-to-use hardware and software. It is also a development board that can be used to create many interesting electronic projects, such as remote-controlled toy cars, quadcopters, automatic pet feeders, smart home systems, automatic watering systems, and so on. To this day, electronic enthusiasts around the world are designing creative electronic projects based on Arduino boards.

Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It consists of a programmable circuit board (commonly referred to as a microcontroller) and an integrated development environment software called Arduino IDE, which is used to write and upload code to the physical circuit board. Arduino simplifies the functionality of the microcontroller into a more user-friendly software package.

With Arduino, we can quickly grasp the basics of microcontrollers and sensors and start prototyping at a low cost. This article will help everyone learn how to use Arduino and its various functions and apply them to real projects.

1. Smart Obstacle Avoidance Car

It can automatically steer when it encounters an obstacle—could this obstacle avoidance feature be transformed into a vacuum cleaning robot?

2. Stringless Magic Guitar

This guitar has no strings but can produce corresponding notes by detecting the position of your hand.

3. LED Cube

An 8x8x8 LED cube (with a total of 512 LEDs), all controlled by Arduino, can display very cool lighting effects.

Generally, before learning Arduino, teachers will recommend that you first learn C and C++ programming languages. A good learning course will combine the tediousness of C++ with Arduino, greatly improving students’ learning efficiency, although this places high demands on course development.

The WizRobotics Arduino (C++) course is full of fun and challenges, making it easier for students to learn.

The openness of Arduino is an important reason for its popularity. Although Arduino is a brand, most of the hardware and software it develops are open source. Circuit diagrams can be found online, so if you don’t want to buy a ready-made Arduino board, you can purchase parts and assemble it yourself. Whether you choose the official Arduino board or a compatible board is entirely up to you!

Whether it is an Arduino board or a compatible board, it can read various sensors’ analog or digital input signals and convert them into outputs, such as starting motors, lighting LEDs, connecting to the cloud, etc.

Designers can send a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board through the Arduino IDE, thereby controlling the board’s functions.

Unlike most traditional programmable circuit boards, Arduino does not require additional hardware (called a programmer) to load new code; it only needs a USB cable.

Furthermore, the Arduino IDE uses a simplified version of C++, making programming easier to learn.

Finally, Arduino provides a standardized form that presents the functionality of the microcontroller in a more user-friendly software package.

Depending on the microcontroller used, there are various types of Arduino boards. Of course, all Arduino boards have one common feature: they can be programmed using the Arduino IDE.

These different levels of Arduino boards vary in the number of input/output interfaces (how many sensors, LEDs, buttons, etc. can be connected), speed, operating voltage, and physical size. Some boards are designed for embedded use and do not come with a built-in programming interface (hardware), requiring separate purchase. Some can be powered directly by a 3.7V battery, while others require at least a 5V power supply.

Learning is just the first step. As the title of the article says, our goal is to enable every student to design amazing electronic products with Arduino and become true little inventors.

WizRobotics provides students with opportunities to collaborate with major international companies such as Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla to develop products. These companies need many innovative products to improve efficiency, and our teachers maintain good relationships with these large companies. Every year, students have the opportunity to participate in real commercial projects, turning the skills they have learned into meaningful social value.

If you are interested in WizRobotics’ “STEM Robotics Programming Course”, which combines online and offline learning, feel free to contact us.

Start your journey to becoming a future inventor here!