Community and Computing: The Arduino Experience

Now a decade old, the Arduino computer platform has captivated hundreds of thousands of hobbyists, artists, and experimenters around the world. This credit card-sized computer powers projects as diverse as digital mosquito killers, wearable tech, flame-throwing jack-o’-lanterns, and Twitter-enabled coffee pots. Infinitely versatile, Arduino can be found in the bedrooms of middle school students as well as the research laboratories of Fortune 500 companies.

Arduino is both a computer and a community. People of all ages have taken to Arduino in a mass movement to understand computing technology while having fun and exploring new ideas, especially ones that involve interaction with the world around us. Arduino is about exploring electronics as a creative medium.

This lecture by Massimo Banzi, co-founder of the Arduino project, will cover the historical origins of Arduino, including discussion of the process of designing tools which make digital technology accessible to people who are not experts, and the essential role of the larger Arduino ecosystem that supports this remarkable computer platform. Come see how a simple idea turned into a global phenomenon.