Arduino

January 8, 2010
Stacey Mason

Though it was released in 2005, The Arduino, an open-source robotics prototyping platform, is gaining fresh attention as a means for creating interactive art fixtures.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The microcontroller on the board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing ). Arduino projects can be stand-alone or they can communicate with software on running on a computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP).

Arduino can be built by hand or purchased preassembled; the software can be downloaded free.

The Arduino takes interactive art projects which were formerly only achievable through teams of designers, programmers, and engineers, and makes it possible for a single artist to install and program a work. Indeed, the accessibility of the Arduino has already led to interesting projects.

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