Cirrhosis of the liver is an extremely serious condition that requires extensive medical monitoring and often intervention. Progression of the condition can be fatal, so even if caught early it must be monitored closely. But, like most things in medicine, that gets expensive. That’s why Marb built his own DIY “micro lab” to analyze ammonia levels in blood and urine.
Disclaimer: Don’t rely on YouTube videos for your medical needs!
The severity of Marb’s condition correlates with increased ammonia production, which is common for cirrhosis of the liver. More ammonia in the blood and urine indicates progression of the disease and a need for immediate medical intervention. Marb’s micro lab lets him monitor his own ammonia levels at home.
The central detection mechanism of this micro lab relies on Berthelot’s reagent, which becomes a blue-green color in the presence of ammonia. To make use of that, the micro lab needs to properly expose the sample to Berthelot’s reagent and look at the resulting color change.
An Arduino Nano board controls the whole process through a custom PCB. That starts with heating the sample in a vial to release the ammonia vapor. The vapor travels via a tube through a gas diffuser into another vial containing Berthelot’s reagent. A magnetic stirrer beneath mixes the gas into the reagent. A 660nm (deep red) laser shines through that vial into a photo diode on the other side, and the Arduino monitors that through a pre-amp.
If a lot of the red light passes through, then the Berthelot’s reagent didn’t turn very blue and there is little to no ammonia present. If hardly any red light passes through, then reagent is very blue and that indicates a high level of ammonia.
The amount of light detected, between those two extremes, provides a reasonably accurate measure of Marb’s ammonia levels, so he can keep track of his condition’s progression.
Every year, we take a moment to reflect on the contributions we made to the open source movement, and the many ways our community has made a huge difference. As we publish the latest Open Source Report, we are proud to say 2024 was another year of remarkable progress and achievements.
A year of growth and collaboration
At Arduino, we continued pushing the boundaries of open hardware and software.
Kept improving Arduino IDE 2, Arduino CLI, and more!
These updates ensure a more flexible and robust ecosystem for developers, educators, and makers worldwide.
But what truly makes open source thrive is the community behind it! Over the past year, Arduino users contributed 1,198 new libraries to the Library Manager (+18% YoY growth!), shared hundreds of open-source tutorials, and actively engaged in thousands of discussions and collaborations on GitHub and Project Hub. These collective efforts fuel innovation, making the Arduino ecosystem more dynamic, inclusive, and powerful than ever.
How can you contribute to open source?
We believe open-source success is built on collaboration. Every original Arduino purchase, Arduino Cloud subscription, and community contribution helps support and expand this shared ecosystem. Donations of course are also welcome, and play a great part in everything we do!
Download the 2024 Open Source Report to explore the milestones we’ve achieved together. Here’s to another year of openness, creativity, and progress!
“Single-point threading” on a lathe is the process of cutting threads, such as for a bolt, into the material through turning. The spindle/workpiece spin and the carriage moves linearly at a precise amount per turn of the spindle. That linear movement is the thread pitch. But this process usually requires several passes to reach the final depth, which presents a problem: how do you start each thread at the exact same point each time? Daniel Engel’s Arduino-based mod solves that problem on mini lathes.
To facilitate single-point threading, most lathes have a lead screw that can engage with the carriage in order to move the tool at a constant rate. That lead screw connects to the spindle through “change gears” or a transmission system, letting the machinist adjust the linear travel of the carriage relative to each spindle turn in order to achieve a desired pitch.
But what happens when you finish the first pass and need to go back for a second? How do you keep the leadscrew (and therefore carriage) in sync with the spindle? One method is to run the lathe in reverse, but that has problems of its own. Some lathes have half-nuts designed to sync engagement, but many mini lathes lack that feature.
Engel’s modification does two things to help: first, it provides a gear reduction to the spindle. That lets him perform single-point threading a much lower RPM, increasing torque and making it easier to stop at the right time (such as meeting a shoulder). Second, it lets an Arduino UNO Rev3 board monitor the spindle position via Hall effect sensors that detect four permanent magnets mounted on the spindle from the factory.
The Arduino records the stop and start positions, displaying them on an LCD screen along with the spindle RPM and current position. After finishing a pass, Engel can use that information to return to the exact same starting position in order to perform the next pass.
This is a clever solution to a common problem and Engel’s tutorial has all the information you need to perform the same modification on your own mini lathe.
Pianos famously have a lot of keys. A standard full-size piano has 52 white keys and 36 black keys, for a total of 88. Therefore, people need to get clever when they build self-playing pianos. However, the brute force approach works, too. Paul Junkin’s brute force strategy was to add a solenoid for every one of those 88 keys on his piano-playing robot.
Junkin built this robot to play an old piano that had been in his family’s home since his childhood. For that reason, he didn’t want to do any permanent modifications to the piano itself and instead designed the robot to sit over the keys. It has a frame made of aluminum extrusion to support all of those solenoids.
They are 12V solenoids that can push with 25 newtons of force. An Arduino UNO Rev3 drives those solenoids through PWM modules and power MOSFETs. The PWM control lets the Arduino output something effectively approximating analog voltage in order to adjust the velocity of each key strike.
To tell the Arduino which keys to strike and with what velocity, Junkin used a USB-to-MIDI adapter going from his laptop to a MIDI-to-serial converter that connects to the Arduino. Software on the computer sends MIDI note commands through those adapters to the Arduino, which then actuates the solenoids accordingly.
This turned out well and the robot is able to play songs perfectly. And, best of all, it would be possible to put this robot on any other piano of a similar size.
The age-old combination of physical locks and keys, although reliable, also comes with a few drawbacks, such as when you lose the key or you want to share access with someone else remotely. Davide Gomba has recognized this and built the MKR Keylock project as a way to address some of these shortcomings.
Starting with an existing electronic lock module, Gomba installed it in his door before identifying the circuit responsible for triggering it to open. Once found, he connected the line to a relay that, when triggered by a GPIO signal, will unlock the bolt. An Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 was then attached to a 4×4 keypad, a small buzzer for signaling an incorrect code, and another relay that runs to the doorbell for remote ringing. Thanks to the MKR board’s Wi-Fi connectivity, the firmware configures an MQTT client that listens to a few topics: “/code” to set the keypad code, “/open” to override the locking mechanism, and “/alive/status” that reflects the real-time status of the lock.
Over on the web side, Gomba made a new Home Assistant integration that operates on the same topics as a controller. From a webpage, users can then toggle the lock or provide a new code for the lock to check against.
Want to bring your own door into the IoT era? More information about this IoT lock can be found here on Hackster.io.
Did you know that it’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11th, 2025? To celebrate this global event, we’re shining a light on the efforts to make STEM more accessible, inclusive, and inspiring for future generations. Let’s dive in!
Mind the gap: gender representation in STEM
Science and technology have made huge leaps forward in recent years. Yet, according to UNESCO, women still make up just 35% of STEM graduates – a figure that has remained unchanged for the past decade.
According to Dr. Erica Colón, founder of Nitty Gritty Science, one major issue is the lack of visible female role models. “If you were to ask children to draw a scientist, many would draw a man,” she told Arduino. From textbooks to posters, Erica says STEM careers are often portrayed as male-dominated, making it harder for young girls to see themselves in these roles.
Additionally, many students don’t even know about the exciting opportunities available in tech because these careers aren’t widely discussed in schools. But we can change that narrative.
At Arduino, we’re committed to making STEM education accessible to everyone – regardless of their gender, race, background, or experience. And we’re not alone…
Breaking down barriers: how educators and organizations are driving change
Educators and organizations worldwide are working hard to reshape STEM education and make it more inclusive.
One champion of this movement is Nathalie Duponsel, a doctoral candidate in Educational Technology at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and a certified primary school teacher. In this video, Natalie explains why Arduino’s open-source platform is key to lowering cost barriers and improving access to technology. “It also gives students real-world examples to work on, which is great for improving their skill sets and brings them around to this maker mindset,” she notes.
Another initiative making a real impact is Arduino4Her, a training project for girls in Ghana hosted by MakerSpaceGH. This popular project equips young women with hands-on skills in Arduino technology, electronics, and programming through interactive workshops and inspiring presentations. The energy is always electric and it’s incredible to see so many young women embracing tech, creating bold new ideas, and challenging STEM stereotypes.
How you can make a difference
Want to inspire more girls to pursue a career in STEM? Whether you’re an educator, parent, or someone who wants to be part of the change, here’s how you can help:
Ignite a love of STEM early on – STEM skills should be nurtured from a young age. It’s never too early to encourage hands-on play and learning activities that spark curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity. For example, block-based coding with the Arduino Alvik robot provides a fun route into coding and robotics for kids as young as seven.
Integrate hands-on tech projects – Integrating hands-on and interactive tools like the Plug and Make Kit, the Alvik robot or the Student Kit is a great way to introduce all students to key STEM areas. Who knows, you might even spark a lifelong passion or inspire the next Rosalind Franklin!
Highlight female role models – Share the stories of women in STEM – past and present – to help girls see what’s possible. Need inspiration? Check out this blog post, where we honor six trailblazing women whose contributions to science were overlooked.
Create supportive learning environments – Building an encouraging community is key. Whether through clubs, mentorship programs, or events like Arduino Days or Arduino4Her, girls need safe spaces where they can explore and excel in STEM.
Advocate for inclusive STEM education – Push for curriculum changes that showcase the contributions of women and minorities in science and technology. “As a teacher, all you can do is put that information out there and make your students aware that they can do anything,” says Dr. Erica Colón. “We have to keep encouraging and showing different roles that they can do.”
On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s take action to empower, inspire, and break barriers. The future of STEM belongs to everyone!
If you’re a fan of open-source technology, Gustavo Salvador Reynaga Aguilar is a name to know. An experienced educator with a passion for technology, Reynaga has spent nearly three decades teaching and inspiring students at CECATI 132 in Mexico. He’s worked with platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBone, and is renowned for projects such as the OSHWi Octopus Badge, a creative electronic badge shared openly on GitHub.
At the core of his work is a commitment to making technology accessible and empowering others to innovate – a philosophy that aligns perfectly with Arduino’s mission!
Making connections at Pycon Latam
At Pycon Latam 2024, held in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Reynaga led the workshop “Primer Contacto con MicroPython” (which can be loosely translated as “MicroPython: First Contact”), introducing attendees to the power of MicroPython for programming microcontrollers. The session demonstrated how hardware and software can come together seamlessly with tools like the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect and Arduino Lab for MicroPython.
The workshop was a hit among software developers, many of whom were impressed by the ease of implementing IoT and embedded solutions using Arduino and MicroPython. Reynaga’s approachable style and passion for teaching left a lasting impression, making the complex world of microcontrollers accessible to all.
For those who missed his workshop, Reynaga is sharing theMicroPython manual he distributed at Pycon Latam on his GitHub account! This free resource is perfect for anyone looking to dive into MicroPython and start building their own projects. You can find it here.
Why MicroPython matters
MicroPython, a lightweight version of Python 3, has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly for IoT applications. Its simplicity and efficiency make it an ideal choice for embedded systems, which combine hardware and software to perform specific tasks.
For makers and developers, MicroPython offers:
Ease of use: A simple syntax that’s perfect for anyone – beginners or not!
Versatility: Compatibility with various microcontrollers and IoT platforms.
Community-driven innovation: As an open-source language, it benefits from continuous development and shared resources.
Reynaga’s workshop underscored these advantages, showing attendees how to program microcontrollers, manage GPIO pins, and connect to IoT platforms – all while using accessible, open-source tools.
And to make your life even easier, we’ve recently streamlined the entire process of installing libraries and managing MicroPython code on your Arduino boards by releasing the MicroPython Package Installer!
Stay inspired by Reynaga’s open-source expertise
Reynaga is not only a talented educator but also a powerful advocate for the open-source community. With more workshops planned for 2025 and beyond, his work continues to inspire makers and developers around the world.
Follow him on X, GitHub, LinkedIn, and YouTube, or explore his projects on gustavoreynaga.com. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your expertise, Reynaga is a fantastic resource and an inspiring example of how open-source technology can transform education and innovation.
The silk industry has a rich history in Italy, but modern challenges have brought this centuries-old tradition to the brink of decline. Once a cornerstone of the rural economy in Italy, with a strong presence in Zagarolo, Rome, silk production has dwindled in the country due to industrial developments, synthetic fibers’ growing popularity, and fierce price competition from foreign exporters. Enter Tecnoseta, a small startup founded in 2019 with a bold mission: to rebuild and innovate the silk production chain, making it 100% Made in Italy.
By combining traditional silk production expertise with modern Industry 4.0 technology, Tecnoseta’s founders have envisioned a sustainable, modular system to produce high-quality Italian silk. Their goals include not only manufacturing efficient, high-tech machinery but also revitalizing rural communities and offering hope to younger generations by creating local job opportunities.
“We’ve grown alongside Arduino. As the platform evolved, we were ready to seize the new possibilities.” – Maddalena Mariani, co-founder and CEO of Tecnoseta
Tecnoseta turned to Arduino’s accessible and reliable technology to bring their vision to life. Thanks to our open-source platform, their in-house team has developed a modular line of high-performance machinery tailored for each step of silk production, including reeling, re-reeling, twisting, and spooling.
Using the Arduino Nano Every and Nano 33 IoT, they implemented automated processes and sensor-based monitoring across their specialized equipment. This allows for real-time fault detection, such as alerting operators when a silk thread breaks. This innovation drastically reduces downtime and improves efficiency, even for small-scale production.
The modularity of Tecnoseta’s system means clients can scale operations according to their needs, from artisanal to industrial. The machines are also designed to integrate with renewable energy sources like solar panels, reflecting a strong commitment to sustainability.
Now the company is looking to the future, exploring ways to enhance their machinery with advanced sensors for predictive maintenance.
Leveraging tools like Arduino Cloud and the Opta micro PLC, Tecnoseta plans to collect data from the machines to monitor their performance and quickly intervene remotely in case of any issues, ensuring even greater reliability and precision. As their technology evolves, the company’s mission remains rooted in their heritage: combining cutting-edge innovation with traditional craftsmanship to create a sustainable future for the Italian silk industry.
Tecnoseta is now working within an agritech framework, to develop high-tech architectures and AI models for the automated management of silkworm breeding. “By supporting the transition of Italy’s sericulture to truly modern standards, we aim to have a positive impact on the local territory by attracting highly specialized professionals. What’s more, it will add to Italy’s competitive edge while making the supply chain more efficient and sustainable,” says Maddalena Mariani, co-founder and CEO.
If you haven’t yet experimented with the Arduino Cloud, then you may not be aware of how powerful it is for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Using the service and its online tools, you can quickly build and deploy smart IoT devices — often with little or no custom code required. Rei Vilo’s Remote E-Paper Weather and Message Board perfectly demonstrates how you can accomplish that.
This device shows current weather information and custom messages on a Pervasive Displays E-Paper Development Kit for Matter’s 2.9″ screen. Though that was designed for use with the Arduino Nano Matter, is also works with others, including the Nano ESP32 that Vilo chose for this project. Like all e-paper displays, it only consumes power when refreshing the screen. And the adapter makes it easy to connect to the Arduino board.
The hardware setup is very straightforward: just connect the Arduino to the display adapter and plug in a USB cable for power. Most of Vilo’s tutorial focuses on configuring an Arduino Cloud service and setting up the Nano ESP32 to work with that.
This showcases the real power of Arduino Cloud, which is its ability to automatically generate sketches to make use of hardware and specified variables. For example, Vilo didn’t need to explicitly program functions to gather the weather data. The Arduino Cloud service automatically passes that data over Wi-Fi to the Nano ESP32, which then updates the display with the new information. Arduino Cloud also provides a nice online dashboard where users can interact with their devices, such as to enter a custom message.
As a Node.js developer, you’re probably eager to put your JavaScript skills to work beyond the browser or server, diving into the world of hardware control with Raspberry Pi GPIOs. If that’s the case, you’re in the right place!
But IoT isn’t just about managing hardware locally. True IoT projects require remote dashboards that let you visualize real-time and historical data, and control devices from anywhere. With Arduino Cloud, you can do all of this with ease.
Let’s dive in and see how you can take your IoT skills to the next level with Node.js and the Arduino Cloud!
Raspberry Pi basic GPIO setup
In this article, we present a straightforward yet comprehensive example to demonstrate the power of Arduino Cloud. You’ll learn how to use an Arduino Cloud dashboard to remotely control and monitor your Raspberry Pi’s digital GPIOs. Specifically, we’ll cover how to:
Turn an LED connected to your Raspberry Pi on and off.
Detect when a push button connected to your Raspberry Pi is pressed.
Visualize the real-time and historical values of an integer variable.
To get started, let’s connect an LED and a push button to your Raspberry Pi as illustrated in the diagram below.
It’s a very simple setup. Now that we have everything ready, let’s get started!
Create the Device and Thing in Arduino Cloud
To send your Raspberry Pi data to Arduino Cloud, you have to follow these simple steps:
In the example shown in this blog post, we use the following three variables:
test_value: We will use this integer variable to show an integer value generated periodically in our Raspberry Pi application in our Arduino Cloud dashboard.
button: We will use this boolean variable to send the information to the Cloud when the push button is pressed.
led: We will use this boolean variable to switch on and off the LED from the Arduino Cloud dashboard.
Create an Arduino Cloud dashboard for data visualization:
Create a switch widget (name: LED) and a LED widget (name: LED) and linke them to the led variable.
Create a chart widget (name: Value evolution) and a Value widget (name: Value) and link them to the test_value variable.
Create a Push button (name: Push Button) and a Status widget (name: Button) and link them to the button variable.
With the dashboard, you will be able to:
Switch ON and OFF the LED using the switch widget
Visualize the status of the LED with the LED widget
Visualize the real time value of the variable test_value with the Value widget
Visualize the evolution over time of the variable test_value with the chart widget
Visualize on the Push Button and Button widgets when the push button has been pressed on the board
Note: You can find more detailed information about the full process in our documentation guide.
Program your IoT device using Node.js
Now it’s time to develop your Node.j application.
const gpiod = require('node-libgpiod');
const { ArduinoIoTCloud } = require('arduino-iot-js');
const { DEVICE_ID, SECRET_KEY } = require('./credentials');
// Modify these lines according to your board setup
const GPIOCHIP = 'gpiochip4';
const LED = 14; // GPIO14, Pin 8
const BUTTON = 15; // GPIO15, Pin 10
// Make sure these variables are global. Otherwise, they will not
// work properly inside the timers
chip = new gpiod.Chip(GPIOCHIP);
ledLine = chip.getLine(LED);
buttonLine = chip.getLine(BUTTON);
ledLine.requestOutputMode("gpio-basic");
// To configure the pull-up bias, use 32 instead of gpiod.LineFlags.GPIOD_LINE_REQUEST_FLAG_BIAS_PULL_UP if it is undefined
buttonLine.requestInputModeFlags("gpio-basic", gpiod.LineFlags.GPIOD_LINE_REQUEST_FLAG_BIAS_PULL_UP);
let client;
// This function is executed every 1.0 seconds, polls the value
// of the button and sends the data to Arduino Cloud
function readButton(client) {
let button = buttonLine.getValue() ? true : false;
if (client)
client.sendProperty("button", button);
console.log("pollButton:", button);
}
// This function is executed every 10.0 seconds, gets a random
// number between 0 and 100 and sends the data to Arduino Cloud
function readValue(client) {
let value = Math.floor(Math.random() * 101);
if (client)
client.sendProperty("test_value", value);
console.log("pollValue", value);
}
// This function is executed each time the "led" variable changes
function onLedChanged(led) {
ledLine.setValue(led ? 1 : 0);
console.log("LED change! Status is: ", led);
}
// Create Arduino Cloud connection
(async () => {
try {
client = await ArduinoIoTCloud.connect({
deviceId: DEVICE_ID,
secretKey: SECRET_KEY,
onDisconnect: (message) => console.error(message),
});
client.onPropertyValue("led", (led) => onLedChanged(led));
}
catch(e) {
console.error("ArduinoIoTCloud connect ERROR", e);
}
})();
// Poll Value every 10 seconds
const pollValue = setInterval(() => {
readValue(client);
}, 10000);
// Poll Button every 1 seconds
const pollButton = setInterval(() => {
readButton(client);
}, 1000);
Create a file called credentials.js with your Device ID and secret.
This code is compatible with all Raspberry Pi models and should also work on any Linux-based machine. Just make sure to specify the correct gpiochip and configure the appropriate GPIO lines in the code snippet below:
For more information about the project, check out the details on Project Hub. You can find the complete code and additional resources in the GitHub repository. Plus, don’t miss the comprehensive JavaScript + Arduino Cloud guide in the following article.
Start with Arduino Cloud for free
Getting your Raspberry Pi connected to Arduino Cloud with Node.js is incredibly easy. Simply create your free account, and you’re ready to get started. Arduino Cloud is free to use and comes with optional premium features for even greater flexibility and power.
If you’re ready to simplify data visualization and remote control for your Raspberry Pi applications using Node.js, Python, or Node-RED, Arduino Cloud is the perfect platform to explore and elevate your projects.
We’re thrilled to announce the latest member of our System Integrators Partnership Program (SIPP): ControlSI, based in Peru, is well known for their expertise in Industry 4.0 solutions – including industrial automation, operational intelligence, data analytics, computer vision, and edge AI – and brings a wealth of knowledge and innovation to the Arduino ecosystem.
This partnership is a game-changer, combining Arduino Pro’s reliable and flexible hardwarewith ControlSI’s advanced cyber-physical systems integration. Together, we’ll deliver customized solutions that span from data capture to real-time analytics, empowering businesses across industries to optimize their processes through accessible and scalable technology.
“We are excited to welcome ControlSI into the Arduino Pro family,” said Guneet Bedi, Arduino’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas. “Their dedication to making IoT and cyber-physical technologies accessible to all aligns perfectly with our mission. We look forward to seeing how this partnership will drive innovation and deliver exceptional value to our clients.”
ControlSI’s directors, Orlando Torres and Carlos Diaz, echoed this enthusiasm: “This association with Arduino Pro allows us to expand the limits of industrial automation and real-time data analysis, providing our clients with a complete solution that adapts to their technological and growth needs.”
The System Integrators Partnership Program by Arduino Pro is an exclusive initiative designed for professionals seeking to implement Arduino technologies in their projects. This program opens up a world of opportunities based on the robust Arduino ecosystem, allowing partners to unlock their full potential in collaboration with us.
We are proud to announce that David Cuartielles, co-founder of Arduino, has been honored with the Open Source Award on Skills and Education 2025 and has become a founding member of the Open Source Academy of Europe. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to open-source education, ensuring that knowledge remains accessible to all.
David’s impact on the world of education and technology is undeniable, but this recognition is about more than just one person’s efforts: it is a celebration of the huge community of educators, students, and innovators who have embraced open-source tools, shaping the way we all engage with technology and empowering millions worldwide.
To share this moment with all of you, here are some key reflections from David’s acceptance speech.
A lifelong commitment to education and openness
“I became an engineer by following my own dreams. Since then, I have devoted my professional career to education. I taught, and still teach, programming and electronics to artists and designers. As a side effect, I co-authored what is probably the most copied piece of educational hardware to date – Arduino. Hardware that we decided to publish under an open license.”
When Arduino was introduced in 2005, open-source hardware was a radical idea. At the time, open licenses were primarily associated with software, music, and written content, not physical artifacts. Arduino helped expand the reach of openness, to include design files for hardware, lab tools, and even furniture. This was a game-changer for education, enabling students, researchers, and makers everywhere to build, modify, and share technology freely.
“We were the hippies of hardware, but we believed that open licenses were the way to ensure full access to tools for students and researchers. We were part of an emergent movement happening on a global scale, and we were lucky to arrive early.”
Defending openness in the modern world
But as open-source adoption has grown, its meaning has shifted. What once symbolized accessibility, collaboration, and ethical responsibility has, in some cases, become diluted within large corporate structures. David spoke directly to this concern: “Openness went from being a club of misfits to being what everyone wanted to be. Being a hacker was once seen as dangerous and strangely illegal… now, it’s what parents want for their kids, fueled by stories of economic success.”
Despite widespread – often superficial – adoption, the political values and ethical foundations of open source are fading. “This is the moment to address the elephant in the room. We now live in a world where some claim to be creating open-source LLMs running on the public cloud, but neither are the LLMs open, nor is the cloud public.”
David’s message is clear: the open-source movement mustreaffirm its roots in solidarity, companionship, and social progress. True openness should continue to empower individuals, foster collaboration, and break down barriers to education and innovation.
A heartfelt thank you
David concluded his speech by acknowledging the people who have supported him throughout his journey:
“I would like to thank all of those who supported me on the way: my colleagues and students at Malmö University, the community members and mates at Arduino, my friends, and my family. Thank you.”
This award is a recognition not just of David’s achievements, but of the shared effort of the Arduino community and the global open-source movement. It’s a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and to continue pushing forward, together.
Congratulations to Dr. David Cuartielles, and thank you to everyone who carries the spirit of open-source forward!
Mark your calendars for March 21-22, 2025, as we come together for a special Arduino Day to celebrate our 20th anniversary! This free, online event is open to everyone, everywhere.
Two decades of creativity and community
Over the past 20 years, we have evolved from a simple open-source hardware platform into a global community with literal millions of makers, educators, and innovators. Together, we’ve built countless projects (5,600+ just on Project Hub at the time of writing!), shared knowledge, and inspired one another to push the boundaries of technology.
As we celebrate this milestone, we want to honor our shared journey as a community. The technological world is accelerating and welcoming more people than ever before: we believe this makes it even more important for everyone to have access to innovation, and to contribute to a future filled with creativity and collaboration.
Be part of the celebration
This year’s Arduino Day promises to be one of the most content-packed to date, featuring engaging talks from experts and enthusiasts on a variety of topics, exciting product announcements to get a first look at what’s coming next, and of course our favorite – community showcases that feature inspiring projects from amateur and professional users around the world. Because it may be called “Arduino Day”, but it’s all about you and the community.
If you’re passionate about sharing your knowledge or organizing an event to celebrate the Arduino community and all that it stands for, here’s how you can get involved:
Call for Speakers: Have a project, idea, or experience to share? Submit your proposal to present during the event. Visit the Arduino Days website for details or go directly to the submission form for speakers.
Call for Organizers: Interested in hosting a local meetup or workshop? Join our global network of organizers and bring Arduino Day to communities everywhere. We’ll literally “put you on the map” on the Arduino Days website! Go to the site for details or straight to the submission form for organizers.
Stay tuned and get involved
Find the most updated information and schedule for the two-day event on the dedicated Arduino Day website, live now: as speakers and organizers are confirmed, we’ll add them there!
Bookmark the page to view the live streaming on March 21st and 22nd: we can’t wait to celebrate this milestone birthday with all of you. Let’s make our 20th-anniversary celebration a memorable one, together!
If you are a pet owner, you know how important it is to keep furry companions fed and happy – even when life gets busy! With the Arduino Plug and Make Kit, you can now build a customizable smart pet feeder that dispenses food on schedule and can be controlled remotely. It’s the perfect blend of functionality and creativity, designed to simplify your life and delight your cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, or cute creature of choice.
Here’s everything you need to automate feeding your pet
This intermediate project is packed with advanced features, made easy by the intuitive Plug and Make Kit. With its modular components, creating your own smart pet feeder is straightforward, fun, and easy to customize.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Arduino Plug and Make Kit, which already includes UNO R4 WiFi, Modulino Distance, Modulino Buttons, Modulino Pixels, and Qwiic cables
A continuous servo motor (such as this one, for example)
Some jumper wires and screws for assembly
A 3D printer (to create the case either with the files we provide, or with your own designs!)
Once the setup is complete, you can remotely control the feeder via a ready-to-use Arduino Clouddashboard, where you’ll set dispensing schedules, adjust portion sizes, and even customize LED lights to match your pet’s mood.
The Modulino Distance sensor ensures food comes out only when needed, while the Modulino Buzzer adds some audio feedback for a playful touch.
Make it the cat’s meow!
As you know, the Plug and Make Kit’s versatility allows for endless possibilities. Feel free to expand this pet feeder project with additional features! For example, you can add a motion-activated camera to capture your pet’s activities, or a real-time weight monitor to track how much food is consumed. You can even activate voice commands for an interactive feeding experience (maybe skip this one if you have a parrot!).
Now you have all the info you need to build your own smart pet feeder: time to grab your Arduino Plug and Make Kit and get started. The template we’ve created simplifies the process, letting you focus on the fun parts of building and experimenting.
Be sure to share your creations with us – upload them to Project Hub or email creators@arduino.cc to get in touch. We can’t wait to see how you make the small daily routine of feeding your pet smarter, and a lot more fun, with Arduino!
We are proud to announce the Made-in-India UNO Ek R4! Available exclusively in India in both WiFi and Minima variants, it is born to meet the needs of the country’s growing maker and innovation ecosystem, by combining all the powerful features of the UNO R4 with the benefits of local manufacturing, enhanced availability, anddedicated support for Indian users.
Uno, one, Ek ! In case you are wondering, Ek means “one” in Hindi, symbolizing unity and simplicity. It represents the Arduino UNO’s position as the foundation of countless maker projects – simple yet powerful, and always the first step toward innovation. To pronounce Ek, say “ake” (rhymes with “bake”) with a soft “k” sound at the end.
Supporting innovation in India
The two new boards were developed under the “Make in India” campaign, launched to make India the global design and manufacturing hub, and are being launched as part of the country’s Republic Day celebrations. They were first unveiled at the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos, where they were presented to Shri Ashwini Vaishnav, India’s incumbent Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, and Mr Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (IC) for the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The event was an outstanding opportunity to reflect on India’s huge role in technological innovation and open-source initiatives, with a focus on fostering STEM education and advancing the maker community.
Fabio Violante, CEO (right), and Guneet Bedi, SVP and General Manager (left) with Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and IT (center).
Fabio Violante, CEO (right), and Guneet Bedi, SVP and General Manager (left) with Mr Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (IC) for the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (center).
We are committed to empowering the thriving maker and engineering community in India – the second country in the world for Arduino IDE downloads, just to mention one important statistic! As our CEO Fabio Violante shares,“Arduino’s decision to manufacture in India reflects the nation’s immense potential as a rising global leader in technology. This step embodies our deep belief in the power of collaboration and community. By joining forces with Indian manufacturers, we aim to ignite a culture of innovation that resonates far beyond borders, inspiring creators and visionaries worldwide.”
Why choose UNO Ek R4 boards?
The UNO Ek R4 WiFi and UNO Ek R4 Minima offer the same powerful performance as their global counterparts, featuring a 32-bit microprocessor with enhanced speed, memory, and connectivity options. But the Made-in-India editions come with added benefits tailored specifically for Indian users, including:
Faster delivery: Locally manufactured boards with extensive stock ensure reduced lead times for projects of all sizes.
Affordable pricing: Genuine Arduino products made accessible at competitive prices.
Local support: Indian users gain access to official technical assistance alongside Arduino’s vast library of global resources.
Sustainable manufacturing: Produced ethically with eco-friendly packaging and certified to SA8000 and FSC standards.
Guneet Bedi, Arduino’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas, comments: “By adding the Arduino UNO Ek R4 WiFi and Arduino UNO Ek R4 Minima to our product line, Arduino is helping to drive adoption of connected devices and STEM education around the world. We’re excited to see the creative projects this community can create with these new boards.”
The past and the future are Ek
The strong legacy of the UNO concept finds a new interpretation, ready to leverage trusted Arduino quality and accessibility to serve projects of any complexity – from IoT to educational applications to AI.
Catering more closely to local needs, UNO Ek R4 WiFi and UNO Ek R4 Minima are equipped to drive the next wave of innovation in India. Both will be available through authorized distributors across the country: sign up here to get all the updates about the release!
If your car was made in the last decade, its dash probably has several displays, gauges, and indicator lights. But how many of those do you actually look at on a regular basis? Likely only one or two, like the speedometer and gas gauge. Knowing that, John Sutley embraced minimalism to use a Game Boy as the dash for his car.
Unlike most modern video game consoles, which load assets into memory before using them, the original Nintendo Game Boy used a more direct tie between the console and the game cartridge. They shared memory, with the Game Boy accessing the cartridge’s ROM chip at the times necessary to load just enough of the game to continue. That access was relatively fast, which helped to compensate for the small amount of available system RAM.
Sutley’s hack works by updating the data in a custom “cartridge’s” equivalent of ROM (which is rewritable in this case, and therefore not actually read-only). When the Game Boy updates the running “game,” it will display the data it sees on the “ROM.” Sutley just needed a way to update that data with information from the car, such as speed.
The car in question is a second-generation Hyundai Sante Fe. Like all vehicles available in the US after 1998, it has an OBDII port and Sutley was able to tap into that to access the CAN bus that the car uses to send data between different systems. That data includes pertinent information, such as speed.
Sutley used an Arduino paired with a CAN shield to sniff and parse that data. The Arduino then writes to the “ROM” with whatever Sutley wants to display on the Game Boy’s screen, such as speed.
This is, of course, a remarkably poor dash. The original Game Boy didn’t even have a backlight for the screen, so this would be downright unsafe at night. But we can all agree that it is very cool.
A vehicle’s wheel diameter has a dramatic effect on several aspects of performance. The most obvious is gearing, with larger wheels increasing the ultimate gear ratio — though transmission and transfer case gearing can counteract that. But wheel size also affects mobility over terrain, which is why Gourav Moger and Huseyin Atakan Varol’s prototype mobile robot, called Improbability Roller, has the ability to dynamically alter its wheel diameter.
If all else were equal (including final gear ratio), smaller wheels would be better, because they result in less unsprung mass. But that would only be true in a hypothetical world on perfectly flat surfaces. As the terrain becomes more irregular, larger wheels become more practical. Stairs are an extreme example and only a vehicle with very large wheels can climb stairs.
Most vehicles sacrifice either efficiency or capability through wheel size, but this robot doesn’t have to. Each of its wheels is a unique collapsing mechanism that can expand or shrink as necessary to alter the effective rolling diameter. Pulley rope actuators on each wheel, driven by Dynamixel geared motors by an Arduino Mega 2560 board through a Dynamixel shield, perform that change. A single drive motor spins the wheels through a rigid gear set mounted on the axles, and a third omni wheel provides stability.
This unique arrangement has additional benefits beyond terrain accommodation. The robot can, for instance, shrink its wheels in order to fit through tight spaces. It can also increase the size of one wheel, relative to the other, to turn without a dedicated steering rack or differential drive system.
Basic drones are very affordable these days—you can literally find some for less than the cost of a fast food drive-thru meal. But that doesn’t mean drones are easy to control. That is actually quite difficult, but manufacturers are able to work off of established reference designs. In a video that perfectly illustrates the difficulty, The Tinkering Techie attempted to make a supercapacitor-powered drone with his own custom flight controller.
Most airplane designs have inherent aerodynamic stability. Even without power, they can continue to glide. Even helicopters have some inherent stability in the form of autorotation. Quadrotor drones do not—they need constant power and very frequent motor control updates just to stay aloft. Even the slightest control error will result in catastrophic failure. Despite knowing the challenge, The Tinkering Techie wanted to try making his own flight controller.
Aside from the custom flight controller, this drone is also unique for its power storage. Instead of conventional lithium batteries, it has a bank of supercapacitors. Those can fully charge in seconds—though they don’t store energy well over long periods of time.
The job of the flight controller is directing power from the supercapacitors to the motors (brushed DC motors, in this case) in a very precise manner. An Arduino Nano 33 IoT board oversees that process and The Tinkering Techie chose it because it has onboard sensors useful for a quadcopter, including a gyroscope and an accelerometer. A custom PCB hosts the Arduino and the supercapacitors, while a simple 3D-printed frame ties everything together.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a success story and The Tinker Techie ultimately failed to achieve stable flight. The are many potential reasons for that, but one of the most glaring was the use of brushed DC motors, which can’t respond as fast as brushless DC motors can — an important factor for a drone.
Known by their characteristic mounting solution, Dobsonian telescopes are the standard in amateur astronomy due to their lower cost and ease-of-use. But after seeing how some of the larger, motorized telescopes at observatories can simply pivot to a target of interest, one member from the FabLab at Orange Digital Center Morocco wanted to add this functionality to his own hobbyist telescope.
The base of the telescope guidance system was made by cutting a large disk from a sheet of plexiglass on a laser cutter and then wrapping it in a timing belt for setting the azimuth (yaw). Once mounted, a 3D-printed set of gears, along with some bearings, were attached to one side in order to provide the altitude adjustments. Each axis is moved by a single stepper motor and accompanying A4988 stepper driver, and both plug into an Arduino Nano.
Over on the controls side of the project, an interface was added that gives the user two buttons, an analog joystick, and an LCD screen at the top. With it, they can select between three different modes. In offline mode, locations that have been preloaded into the other Nano can be chosen as the target, while any arbitrary location can be sent via serial from a host PC in online mode. Finally, the joystick can be used in manual mode to move anywhere.
Every decent stereo sold since the invention of sound has included a knob on the front for adjusting volume. There are influencers and entire communities dedicated to evaluating the feel of those wonderful knobs. So why would you settle for the mushy volume buttons on a remote? Eric Tischer didn’t think he should have to, so he built his own wireless rotary encoder device for controlling his DAC’s volume.
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is an important part of modern digital audio systems. Tischer’s DAC/preamp takes the digital signal from a TV or other device, turns it into an analog signal, and then pushes that out to an amplifier. The DAC has a rotary encoder on the device itself for adjusting volume, but the remote just has the standard buttons. Tischer measured that remote and found that it takes 25 seconds to go from zero to full volume. That’s almost as annoying as the horribly unsatisfying buttons.
Tisher’s solution was to construct a new wireless remote with only one job: controlling volume. It has a big CNC jog-wheel style rotary encoder that reportedly has a very nice feel, with 100 total detent “clicks” per revolution. That matches perfectly with the number of volume levels.
An Arduino Nano ESP32 board monitors the remote rotary encoder and communicates the detected position (via pulse-counting) to another ESP32 board by the DAC over ESP-NOW. That second board attaches to the DAC’s built-in rotary encoder pins and simulates pulses that match the remote. So as far as the DAC knows, Tischer is rotating the built-in encoder. In reality, he’s sitting comfortably on the couch spinning that handheld knob instead of pushing buttons dozens of times per commercial break.
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