Managing shared spaces, especially meeting rooms, can be a headache in busy offices. At Arduino, we’ve experienced it firsthand in our flexible and dynamic offices around the world – where colleagues could often be seen wandering around with their laptops, trying to find a quiet place for videocalls or brainstorming sessions. 

We started with a simple shared Google Calendar, but as we often do, we took it a step further by creating an innovative solution – using Arduino GIGA R1 WiFi and GIGA Display Shield.

Open the door to better room booking 

Our engineers developed a physical device that can be conveniently installed next to every meeting room door, using the Arduino GIGA and GIGA Display Shield. The device connects seamlessly with Google Calendar APIs, allowing users to check room availability and book a space directly from the touchscreen. The APIs are managed by a custom Python® application that processes Google Calendar data and updates the corresponding IoT Thing in Arduino Cloud.

No more knocking on doors or interrupting meetings to check if the room is free! It’s all displayed in real-time, and booking is just a tap away. And, of course, everything is built with data privacy in mind.

To power the user-friendly interface we used LVGL, the “light and versatile visual library” perfect for building custom GUIs. We also leveraged Squareline Studio – because sometimes coding just feels like too much work – to easily design the display’s look and feel. 

For the finishing touch, we even created a custom 3D-printed case (for which you can just download the STL file right here).

Take it to the next level with automation

But why stop at meeting room booking? With this phygital system, you can integrate sensors to collect additional data like room temperature, humidity and lighting, automating systems to improve comfort and energy efficiency. 

Get started today

Built on two of Arduino’s most advanced products, the Arduino GIGA and GIGA Display Shield, this solution opens endless possibilities for automation and customization in your office. 

Ready to make your own? Check out the code and files on Project Hub and the repository on GitHub, to get started! And don’t forget to let us know what you’ll build.

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