Hardware isn’t dead. Software did not take over all of US engineering. And not everything has been outsourced. That’s in part due to Arduino and other open-source maker and DIY platforms, or at least that was an argument made at ESC (Embedded Systems Conference) in Minneapolis this week.

“You are seeing more companies take this more seriously than something just for hobby,” said embedded systems designer Duane Benson, a participant in ESC’s Arduino Show & Tell session where such DIY projects were shared with event attendees and presenter of the “Arduino for Rapid Prototyping; It’s Not Just a Toy” session.

There was a good crowd on hand for Benson’s “Arduino for Rapid Prototyping; It’s Not Just a Toy” session.

Benson, and many of the more than 30 people who attended the ESC Arduino Meet-up, have been drawn to the platform for its low cost, easy IDE, and simple hardware—a perfect storm for easy adoption and engineering entry.

“That allowed a lot of newcomers in—just like the personal computer revolution in the 1970s,” Benson said during his presentation.



Minneapolis local Dan McCreary (center) shared his Arduino-based kits with ESC meet-up attendees. The engineer uses Arduino to introduce the basics of electronics through his work as a lead mentor for the Minneapolis local Dan McCreary (center) shared his Arduino-based kits with ESC meet-up attendees. The engineer uses Arduino to introduce the basics of electronics through his work as a lead mentor for the CoderDojo Twin Cities organization

Arduino isn’t perfect, though. Its IDE is considered weak by some engineers, base Arduinos are typically not very powerful, and Arduinos can be pricey in low quantities. But the issues, when combined with the strong uptick STEM has seen from Arduino adoption (Arduino users are estimated to be above the 100,000 point), have brought along other open or Arduino-like platforms, including Intel’s Edison and the nearly Arduino-compatible chipKit powered by Microchip, that could fill holes left by imperfections and help continue the easy entry to engineering that Arduino started.

Benson suggested that Arduino may become a platform standard, not as in an industry standard but as C is a language standard. It’s proven its strength as a sort of social currency in electronics, which we saw at this week’s ESC meet-up with people traveling hours to come chat, exchange ideas, and trade design knowledge about the platform while showing off their designs.

Benson closed his presentation by suggesting what Arduino could do next to continue its value to hobbyists, makers, and professional engineers alike. Key, he said, is to bring the price point for more-than-base Arduinos below $2. Also, automatic wireless update for IoT should come into play, as should basic debug. Lastly 32-bit should require only a handful of parts, staying in line with Arduino’s simplicity.

What do you think of Arduino? Can it be trusted for advanced design? Will it become a “standard”? And what’s your take on how the newer Edison and chipKit sit as design platforms? Chime in via the comments below.

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