Maker Faire Bay Area 2017, San Mateo, CA, May 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arduino, leading open-source ecosystem for Education, Maker and Internet of Things (IoT) markets, announced the appointment of Hernando Barragán as its Chief Design Architect.

“This is a very exciting day for me, Arduino, and the entire Arduino community,” said Arduino CEO, Federico Musto. “Of course, Hernando’s Wiring project was the original foundation, which led to the Arduino we all know and love today. His artistic ability to design remarkable hardware is the pièce de résistance, giving developers broad, functional technologies, while offering a well-designed, well-packaged, and easy-to-use platform to create artistic projects of their own. Hernando brings an impressive talent to brilliantly marry art with functionality, and he will be an inspiring member of the Arduino team.”

Hernando started Wiring in 2003 as his Master’s thesis project at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (IDII) in Italy, where he received his masters with distinction in 2004. The objective was to make it easy for artists and designers to work with electronics, by removing the complicated details of electronics. He continued the development of Wiring at the Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, where he began teaching as an instructor in Interaction Design. Today, he designs interactive artifacts and experiences with various collaborators to attract and engage diverse audiences in dynamic contexts, exploring possibilities of expression at the intersection of art, design, architecture, and technology to enrich human experiences. Barragán was awarded a Research-creation grant, by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada, along with two colleagues from Laval University and UQAC, researching the IoT and how it will re-shape the architecture environment.

“I am honored to join Arduino at this time in its history,” said Barragán. “I’ve always been a part of the community, and am thrilled to take on a leadership role to help determine the future of the Company and be an even bigger part of the passionate community of Arduino developers. As the democratization of hardware continues to unfold, now is the time where the sophistication of hardware development platforms can really make a difference. If we can design elegant boards that developers and users want to build with, alongside with the appropriate software tools, Arduino will continue to be a part of a real transformation in the industry. We are prepared for a turning point preserving its original philosophy, values, ideas and ease of use to mark the next stage for what has been a very successful innovation platform.”

About Arduino

Arduino is the world’s leading open-source software and hardware ecosystem. The Company offers IoT developers and Makers of all ages the ability to build smart, connected and interactive devices using affordable technologies. Check us out at www.arduino.org and www.arduino.cc.

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Arduino PR | Kelly Brieger | Kelly@kbpr.net | www.arduino.org | 650.704.1748