This is for sure one of my absolute favorite TED Talks. Really, Really encourage you to take a look at this one for yourself- Banzi describes Arduino far better than I can- but I have summed up the main idea and added some commentary below.
BTW, I take back what I said about Arduino just being for robot making- it goes far, far beyond just that. This stuff has absolutely incredible potential in itself!
The power of this project can be summed up with this somewhat image-inducing line of Banzi’s: “Scratch your own itch.” The Arduino, as a relatively powerful and highly adaptable open license microcontroller platform, gives a viable mechanical outlet to the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the ordinary individual. Everything about the Arduino Project, from the hardware to the software to the language to the designs of possible devices is open to the general public, allowing absolutely anyone to build and sell what they want without worrying about Big Brother Patent Office. A whole DYI community has sprung up internationally around the Arduino and, in true open source fashion, freely shares and collaborates on the how-to-do’s of their own creative machines.
Even better for clueless shmucks like me, you don’t need years of coding experience or advanced knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering to use the Arduino. Arduino has its own unique “mash up” that flies above much of the minutiae, while remaining open to the sort of manipulation that hackers dream of.
And learning this mash up is pretty darn easy- instruction can be found via YouTube, Make, Instructables, etc. for practically anything that the Arduino can conceivably do.
Arduino in hand, freaking fourteen year olds can and are making products for governments and world markets. Startups are being formed that use this device in unique ways and major players like Google are employing the Arduino for their own innovation. Individuals are kicking butt, taking names, and developing world-changing- or just awesome- machines. And that’s a good thing in my books. A few of my faves from this video and elsewhere are listed below.
The Ardocopter- super portable small robot heli that the organization Matternet is using in Africa to transport items between villages
Sign Language Glove- converts sign language and gestures to text and/or spoken word
Txt Bomber- spray paints out uploaded political text on walls
Personality Plant- gives live twitter feed to plants, allowing them to tweet you when they need water, etc.
Earthquake Detector- developed by a teen in Chile, uploads information to Twitter
The Enough Already- Mutes the TV whenever certain “overexposed celebrities” are mentioned
Harry Potter Clock- You know, the one that tells where the family is- works by analyzing their Twitter feeds
The Twair- Chair that uploads to Twitter every time somebody farts in it
Secret Knock Detecting Door Lock
Replicator 3D Printer
Laser Harp- Yeah. It’s Bad Ass.
Open Source Game Boy
Daft Punk helmet
Breathalyzer Microphone
Pocket Piano
Henry, glad to see the blog and comments working. It's an interesting topic and I like your enthusiasm. At the same time, I find myself a bit put off by the pitchman tone. "It slices, it dices, and more...." Indeed the Arduino is an interesting and promising device, but from your post I get the enthusiasm much more than a solid sense of just what it does, what it is an alternative to, for whom it is designed, and where it fits into the larger ecology of devices, software, and people that surround its use. I'd be interested in seeing a more nuanced analysis and I'm sure there are lots of sources on the web that can provide useful information.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
--t
Yes sir, I perhaps got a little carried away in the pitch. I'll somber it down a little and focus on getting a little more in depth on the causes and effects. Thanks for the post and the advice!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to investigate some Arduino competitors, I think that Paulo Blikstein has a few in his lab that he might let you play around with.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that'd be great! Do you know how I could get in contact with him?
Deletehttp://www.blikstein.com/paulo/
Delete