Arduino wants you to build your own IoT devices
The team behind the Arduino robotics kit wants to push users beyond standard programming to give them the chance to invent their own IoT products.
Arduino is a single-board computer kit which aims to teach users how to program. You start by learning the Arduino programming language, which is based on C/C++, to master the fundamentals of hardware and how things work -- before moving onto other languages.
In a blog post, Arduino said the company is "on a mission to radically simplify the way you build smart devices." In order to do so, the company has introduced ESLOV, a plug-and-play IoT device invention kit.
See also: 9 affordable Arduino-powered robot kits
ESLOV, which began as part of a three-year EU-funded PELARS project, is made up of modules which connect together to make IoT projects possible without any in-depth knowledge of hardware or programming. Once you have selected the modules and connected them through cables or via an Arduino Wi-Fi and motion hub, the device is ready to go.
The kit will come with a total of 25 modules including buttons, LED lights, air quality sensors, microphones and servos -- many of which are used in today's IoT and connected devices.
Arduino says ESLOV can be used to create anything from a baby monitor to a washing machine notifier which lets you know when the latest cycle has finished, or even a smart thermostat.
Communication between the device and user is created through the cloud and mobile technology, and you can also use the ESLOV modules together with the online or desktop Arduino Editor.
In line with the firm's open-source ethos, ESLOV will be issued to the community, allowing others to contribute to the project with their own modules.
To begin pushing the kit out to the Arduino community, the company hopes to raise funds through a Kickstarter campaign.
At the time of writing, 46,1687 Swedish Krona ($54,000) has been raised, but Arduino hopes to raise 425,0000 SEK (approx. $500,000) in total.