Responsible for everything from R/C lawnmowers to auto-lacing sneakers, the Arduino is the backbone for some of the most wild and crazy – but also sorta genius – projects within the past few years. Now, there’s a new kid on the block.
Launching at Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend, the Arduino Primo is the latest and most advanced Arduino board yet featuring native Bluetooth low energy wireless connectivity, Wi-Fi, Near Field Communication (NFC) and infrared (IR) technologies. Previously, users were required to add “shields” to upgrade Arduino to Bluetooth low energy technology and NFC. The latest update to the board’s Bluetooth capabilities is made possible thanks to a new partnership with Nordic Semiconductor.
Although the Primo is the most advanced Arduino yet and is designed for intermediate users, it still makes use of the all-skill-levels Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) programming interface. Ultimately, those who are new to Arduino can still tap into the Primo’s powerful features including communicating with other Internet-connected “things” without requiring the resources of a Wi-Fi router or smartphone.
“Our passion at Arduino is to provide the tools to encourage passionate people to build out their ideas and bring them into the world. Adding wireless connectivity from our partnership with Nordic provides even more options,” says Federico Musto, CEO & President of Arduino S.r.L. “Ease-of-use is one of our core strengths, and this makes the Nordic chip a perfect match for the Arduino Primo.”
Although the new board isn’t going to ship for a couple more months, you can stay updated over at Arduino.
