Imagine playing Half-Life: Alyx and feeling the gun heat up in your hand as you take down The Combine. Or operating a robot through augmented reality and feeling coldness on your fingers when you get close to exceeding the robot’s limits. A prototype device called ThermoGrasp brings that thermal feedback to the mixed reality applications. ThermoGrasp is […]
Imagine playing Half-Life: Alyx and feeling the gun heat up in your hand as you take down The Combine. Or operating a robot through augmented reality and feeling coldness on your fingers when you get close to exceeding the robot’s limits. A prototype device called ThermoGrasp brings that thermal feedback to the mixed reality applications.
ThermoGrasp is a wearable thermal feedback system designed for virtual reality and augmented reality, created by Arshad Nasser and Khalad Hasan of the University of British Columbia. It consists of thermoelectric modules attached to the user’s fingers with Velcro straps. Those are capable of creating thermal sensations — both warm and cold — in response to what happens in the virtual world. Those sensations can relate to any condition or event that the developer chooses, whether for immersion or utility.
Nasser and Hasan built the prototype using an Arduino Mega 2560 board, which controls the thermoelectric modules through custom H-bridge drivers. Those thermoelectric modules are Peltier devices, which are normally associated with cooling. They can create a cooling feeling on the skin, but can also do the opposite and produce a warm feeling. The Arduino controls the drivers through pulse-width modulation (PWM), allowing for granular adjustment. The thermoelectric modules are capable of changing temperature at a rate of 3.5°C per second and so can produce a noticeable sensation within just a couple of seconds.
In testing, users found that cool sensations were easier to detect than warm sensations, but that both were useful and increased immersion.
Marbles are underrated. They’re very round, roll well, tend to be pretty shiny, and come in all sorts of neat colors. That last characteristic makes them suitable for artwork, like orbicular pixels. In his most ambitious project to date, Engineezy took advantage of those attributes (roundness and colorfulness) to build this amazing machine that automatically […]
Marbles are underrated. They’re very round, roll well, tend to be pretty shiny, and come in all sorts of neat colors. That last characteristic makes them suitable for artwork, like orbicular pixels. In his most ambitious project to date, Engineezy took advantage of those attributes (roundness and colorfulness) to build this amazing machine that automatically produces marble art displays.
Engineezy has made a name for himself with his impressive and often complex mechanical design, and this project certainly fits that bill. It is enormous and the entire thing is basically a stack of fascinating mechanisms. There are mechanisms to separate the marbles by color (there are eight colors), elevator mechanisms to lift the marbles to the top of the sorters, pump mechanisms to move the sorted marbles up, feed mechanisms to drop the appropriate marbles into the displays area columns, and a mechanism to dump all the marbles from the bottom to start the process over.
All of those mechanisms require a whole bunch of motors and drivers, along with several development boards to direct them. The feed mechanisms at the top, for example, operate under the control of an Arduino Nano ESP32. It oversees the movement of the two stepper motors that slide two guides back and forth — a design inspired by IDEX (Independent Dual-Extruder) 3D printers. Those use funnel-like ramps created by two coil springs that adapt to the movement — a rather ingenious idea.
The mechanisms all work in concert to drop the marbles into the display area, creating images of 32×32 pixels (1,024 “pixels” in total) and up to eight colors. The machine can automatically reset itself and then display a new image, so it can keep going indefinitely while spectators watch the intricate dance play out.
To the average person, invention and new product development seem like pretty straightforward processes; you come up with a killer idea, do the engineering work to cobble together a working prototype, have a truckload of units manufactured, and then sell those to turn a profit. But the reality is far, far more complicated than that. […]
To the average person, invention and new product development seem like pretty straightforward processes; you come up with a killer idea, do the engineering work to cobble together a working prototype, have a truckload of units manufactured, and then sell those to turn a profit. But the reality is far, far more complicated than that. However, Noam Aizenberg was able to ease some of the pain by turning to Arduino when he developed the myTMJ Pen.
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your jawbone to your skull and any disorders affecting it can cause a great deal of pain. Those disorders are surprisingly common and may affect as much as 12% of the human population, but there aren’t many good therapy solutions available to sufferers. As a TMJ patient himself, Aizenberg designed myTMJ Pen to provide relief.
As Aizenberg discovered, it takes a tremendous amount of work to bring a product to market — especially one designed for therapeutic use on the jaw muscles. myTMJ Pen combines pinpoint heat and massage, so Aizenberg also had to take safety into consideration. But Aizenberg is a recent mechanical engineering graduate and also has experience with Arduino development boards and the Arduino IDE, helping him to speed through prototype development.
The production myTMJ Pen will not contain an Arduino board, because space is at a tremendous premium. But Aizenberg did use the Arduino IDE to program the Microchip ATmega48 microcontroller that resides on the device’s custom PCB. That let Aizenberg take advantage of the familiar programming environment, the many available libraries, and the vast amount of documentation in the Arduino ecosystem.
For those interested in what it actually takes to bring a product to market, Aizenberg has documented every step of the process on his Instagram and YouTube channel.
Aizenberg is currently seeking funding for the product launch on Indiegogo. Those funds will go towards everything from PCB fabrication to regulatory compliance testing.
Following up on his successful Doom port last year, engineer Nicola Wrachien – who works at Silicon Labs, a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world and long-time Arduino partner – has now tackled an even bigger challenge: porting Quake, the iconic 1990s’ first-person shooter, to an Arduino gamepad. What a […]
Following up on his successful Doom port last year, engineer Nicola Wrachien – who works at Silicon Labs, a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world and long-time Arduino partner – has now tackled an even bigger challenge: porting Quake, the iconic 1990s’ first-person shooter, to an Arduino gamepad.
What a great warm-up for the upcoming Matter Challenge! If this kind of project sounds like fun, follow the competition or submit your own entry by October 31st.
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics, Silicon Labs and Arduino, the Matter Challenge is open to all skill levels. Take the opportunity to inspire others, by creating an incredible project with the Arduino Nano Matter board.
Released just three years after Doom, Quake was a huge leap forward in gaming technology. It introduced full 3D environments complete with dynamic lighting effects, and its enemies and weapons were 3D models rather than 2D sprites. The game also featured a scripting engine that gave modders a lot of creative freedom. But with more realistic graphics, a particle engine, and more complex sound effects, Quake was also a far bigger technical challenge to port.
In the face of demanding requirements, Wrachien turned to the Arduino Nano Matter, developed with the powerful Silicon Labs® MGM240S as part of a partnership to better enable seamless development of Matter over Thread applications on the Arduino platform, which also led to the release of Arduino’s first-ever Matter software library earlier this year.
Reflecting on the Arduino Nano Matter board, Wrachien said: “The Nano Matter board, featuring the Silabs xG24, offers impressive processing power and versatility in a compact size, making it a fantastic tool for both simple and complex projects like this one.”
If you’re intrigued and want to explore more technical details, dive into Wrachien’s full post and get into the nitty-gritty of this remarkable project on his blog. You can get your Arduino Nano Matter from our store and replicate his idea thanks to all the information he shares, or imagine a new challenging project of your own!
The automotive industry’s switch from carburetion to fuel injection was one of the most effective advancements of the 20th century. Electronic fuel injection allows for precise control over an internal combustion engine’s air-fuel mixture, which dramatically improves fuel efficiency and performance. But that requires computer oversight, which is why Kenyan engineer Peter Mbiria developed his own […]
The automotive industry’s switch from carburetion to fuel injection was one of the most effective advancements of the 20th century. Electronic fuel injection allows for precise control over an internal combustion engine’s air-fuel mixture, which dramatically improves fuel efficiency and performance. But that requires computer oversight, which is why Kenyan engineer Peter Mbiria developed his own Arduino-based custom engine control unit (ECU) for upgrading vintage cars.
Electronic fuel injection conversions — from either carburation or mechanical fuel injection — aren’t very common, because they require computer control and that has to be tailored to the specific engine. With the exception of a few very popular models that warrant turnkey solutions, it simply isn’t worth upgrading most engines. But Mbiria’s custom ECU makes the process much easier, to the point where it can be worthwhile to convert older engines. The conversion gives them new life, increasing economy and power.
Mbiria’s Voltarent ECU can work with four-cylinder, six-cylinder, and eight-cylinder engines. After the conversion, it controls the injectors and ignition. A small OLED screen, mounted by the car’s dash, displays information and the driver can switch modes (economy, comfort, sport) using a knob.
Those modes, and the injector control in general, are only possible because of sophisticated algorithms running on the firmware that Mbiria developed himself. He chose to use an Arduino Due board to take advantage of the many I/O pins, but also for the processing power of the AT91SAM3X8E microcontroller that is necessary to perform the calculations fast enough to keep up with the engine. Mbiria designed a custom PCB to host the Arduino and provide an interface to the injectors, ignition system, and user interface. And with relatively simple tweaks to the Arduino sketch, Mbiria can make the ECU’s firmware suitable for whatever car he’s working on.
Starfield, a game set in the vast expanse of our galaxy, is receiving a new expansion called “Shattered Space” in which players can don novel weapons and gear to take on the latest challenge. As part of its release, the expansion’s publisher Bethesda reached out to cosplayer Jonas Zibartas and tasked him with creating a pair of render-accurate […]
Starfield, a game set in the vast expanse of our galaxy, is receiving a new expansion called “Shattered Space” in which players can don novel weapons and gear to take on the latest challenge. As part of its release, the expansion’s publisher Bethesda reached out to cosplayer Jonas Zibartas and tasked him with creating a pair of render-accurate helmets that could be worn all day at conventions.
Within the first couple weeks of nonstop designing and test fits, Zibartas had a helmet model that consisted of 130 individual parts and where airflow was a major priority. Similar to a motorcycle helmet, the inner layer is comprised of soft fabric overlayed on top of a rigid, yet porous, helmet shell. Two fans near the front bring in fresh air from the outside and help prevent the transparent visor layer from becoming too foggy due to the wearer’s breathing. Raised just above this shell is a secondary set of 3D-printed accent pieces that give the helmet its finer details/form.
In Shattered Space, these helmets have lighting accents both inside the visor and at various points outside the helmet which act as indicators or headlamps. Zibartas was able to embed all of these features thanks to a dense strip of LEDs and an Arduino Nano.
The meticulous process of constructing these incredibly detailed helmets can be found here in Zibartas’s YouTube video below!
We’re excited to announce that Arduino Cloud is now available in AWS Marketplace, making it easier than ever for developers and businesses worldwide to integrate our powerful IoT platform into their AWS infrastructure. This development is particularly relevant for those in industrial manufacturing, energy management, supply chain, and logistics sectors who are looking to streamline […]
We’re excited to announce that Arduino Cloud is now available in AWS Marketplace, making it easier than ever for developers and businesses worldwide to integrate our powerful IoT platform into their AWS infrastructure. This development is particularly relevant for those in industrial manufacturing, energy management, supply chain, and logistics sectors who are looking to streamline the deployment and management of IoT solutions.
Develop your cloud solutions faster and easier than ever
With Arduino Cloud now available in AWS Marketplace, users can benefit from a low-code platform that accelerates time-to-value, enables easy device management, and supports OTA (Over-The-Air) updates, digital twin creation, and real-time data visualization. For AWS customers, this availability simplifies the process of purchasing, deploying, and scaling IoT applications using Arduino’s robust cloud infrastructure.
As our CEO Fabio Violante explains: “Our mission at Arduino is to remove barriers to innovation, reducing friction and enabling people to focus on their business outcomes. By making Arduino Cloud available in AWS Marketplace, we are improving accessibility for organizations to deploy and manage their IoT devices at scale, dramatically accelerating the journey from ideation to production. With Arduino Cloud, we also aim to enable IoT and edge AI projects that previously never materialized due to complexity and costs.”
Many of our customers have already seen the impact of this integration. Atlas Machine, for example, successfully implemented a “split cloud” architecture using both Arduino Cloud and AWS IoT Core, allowing them to manage sensor data efficiently. Danny Kent, their Product Development Engineer, noted that Arduino Cloud was “indispensable for OTA and device management at scale,” significantly boosting their operational efficiency.
How can Arduino Cloud benefit your business?
Arduino Cloud offers key benefits such as faster go-to-market times, seamless integration with enterprise architecture, comprehensive support for edge and hardware solutions, and cost-effective scalability. Whether you are prototyping or managing large-scale IoT deployments, the service is designed to meet your needs.
A mainstay in most machine shops, the belt grinder assists in greatly increasing the speed at which parts can be ground down in a safer, more controlled manner compared to an angle grinder. As an effort to build a tool like this one for the first time, Julien Alexandre chose to use Arduino Opta as […]
A mainstay in most machine shops, the belt grinder assists in greatly increasing the speed at which parts can be ground down in a safer, more controlled manner compared to an angle grinder. As an effort to build a tool like this one for the first time, Julien Alexandre chose to use Arduino Opta as its controller while designing it from the ground up.
Belt grinders, as the name implies, use a rapidly moving, abrasive belt that has been wound around a set of pulleys and gets driven by a large motor. The main drive pulley was mounted at the rear of the machine and securely connected to a three-phase AC motor. Above it is a height-adjustable point for controlling the belt’s tension, which also aids in swapping belts when needed. The last two pulleys are situated across from the motor and can be tilted vertically to alter the grinding angle. Lastly, the entire assembly can pivot to lay flat on the table or raised at an angle to it.
Facilitating the belt grinder’s operation is an Arduino Opta micro PLC. It receives a signal from two digital inputs that, when either is active, cause the Opta to blink a blue LED indicating to the operator that an error occurred in the security relay that manages the safety chain.. The motor controller (a variable-frequency drive) receives its values from a switch and a potentiometer located on the control panel, with the former dictating if the system is active and the latter being used for adjusting the speed. To see more about Alexandre’s ongoing projects, you can visit his Instagram page here.
The primary appeal of microcontrollers is their versatility. They are, essentially, the embedded equivalent of computers — general purpose devices that can perform a wide range of functions. And to get the most out of a microcontroller, you’ll also want connectivity suitable for your application. That’s why we released the Arduino Nano Matter and YouTuber […]
The primary appeal of microcontrollers is their versatility. They are, essentially, the embedded equivalent of computers — general purpose devices that can perform a wide range of functions. And to get the most out of a microcontroller, you’ll also want connectivity suitable for your application. That’s why we released the Arduino Nano Matter and YouTuber Mr Innovative has shared a great video illustrating how easy it is to build an energy meter using this new development board.
The Nano Matter is based on the powerful Silicon Labs MGM240S, which has an Arm Cortex-M33 processor and support for a number of wireless connectivity options, including 802.15.4 (Zigbee and Thread), Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.3, Bluetooth® Mesh, and Matter. That makes the Nano Matter perfect for smart home and other Internet of Things applications. To demonstrate that, Mr Innovative created an energy meter that would be useful to many people around the world.
This unit monitors the power flowing to any device or appliance connected to mains AC power. It displays information about that power consumption on a small OLED screen, and also sends the data over Bluetooth to a connected smartphone for logging. The Nano Matter can’t monitor mains AC voltage directly, so Mr Innovative used a ZMCT103C current transformer for the job. The Arduino receives its power from a 9V battery and the components fit inside a 3D-printed enclosure. A printed sticker label gives that a nice, smooth top finish.
Developing energy-efficient IoT and wearable devices is complex and time-consuming, yet it is essential for creating high-quality products that stand out in today’s market. A key part in this process is optimizing power consumption without sacrificing performance or functionality. Fortunately, Arduino Pro modules help address this challenge by offering powerful chips and efficient regulators, enabling […]
Developing energy-efficient IoT and wearable devices is complex and time-consuming, yet it is essential for creating high-quality products that stand out in today’s market. A key part in this process is optimizing power consumption without sacrificing performance or functionality. Fortunately, Arduino Pro modules help address this challenge by offering powerful chips and efficient regulators, enabling developers to fine-tune power settings and maximize efficiency for their specific needs.
To further support these efforts, we’re excited to introduce a powerful new power management library designed specifically for Arduino Pro modules. The currently supported models are Arduino Portenta H7, Portenta C33, and Nicla Vision. With this library, you can easily monitor battery usage and health, fine-tune charging parameters, toggle components to reduce power consumption, and even enable sleep and standby modes on supported devices. In fact, when in deep sleep mode, some boards consume under 100 microamperes, enabling months or even years of continuous runtime on a single charge.
Ready to optimize your IoT and wearable devices? Keep reading to learn how our new power management library for Arduino Pro modules can help you extend battery life and boost efficiency. Discover the tools to take control of your device’s power usage and try it for yourself!
Watt’s in store: key features you’ll love
Here are some of the standout features that will help you maximize efficiency and extend battery life:
Battery monitoring: Keep track of vital battery metrics, including voltage, current, percentage, and temperature, in real-time.
Battery health tracking: Monitor battery health with detailed insights into temperature, and reported capacity.
Charging control: Take charge of your device’s battery management by monitoring and adjusting charging parameters.
Sleep and Standby modes: Save significant power by putting Portenta C33 or Portenta H7 into low-power Sleep and Standby modes. Support for Nicla Vision will be added in an upcoming update.
Power rail control: Fine-tune power usage by toggling and setting voltages on various power rails of the board.
Juice it up: monitor battery health like a pro
Managing your device’s battery health has never been easier. With the dedicated battery management class, you gain real-time insights into your battery’s usage and health, empowering you to optimize energy efficiency and prolong battery life. This powerful tool lets you track essential metrics such as current and average voltage, battery percentage, current draw, temperature, and even provides estimates for time-to-full and time-to-empty, allowing you to predict charging and discharging times with accuracy. By keeping a close eye on these parameters, you can make informed decisions to maximize your device’s performance and longevity.
Monitoring battery health is crucial for ensuring the long-term reliability and efficiency of your devices. Poor battery health can lead to reduced performance, shorter runtimes, and even unexpected shutdowns, which can negatively impact user experience. By proactively tracking battery metrics, you can identify potential issues before they become critical, extend the lifespan of your batteries, and maintain optimal energy usage – whether your device is in constant use or running intermittently over long periods. Staying on top of battery health means fewer disruptions, lower maintenance costs, and more sustainable, high-performing products.
Charging your LiPo battery effectively is key to maintaining long-term health and maximizing runtime. The power management library gives you control over your battery’s charging process by monitoring each stage and allowing you to adjust crucial parameters to suit your specific needs. With this tool, you can confidently charge your devices, knowing you’re getting the most out of your batteries without risking damage or reduced lifespan.
The three stages of charging
LiPo batteries charge in three stages, each critical for ensuring the battery is properly and safely charged:
Pre-Charge: The first phase begins by charging the battery at a low current, gradually increasing until it reaches the appropriate charging level. This gentle start ensures that the battery is brought up to full charge safely.
Constant Current: In this stage, the battery charges at a consistent current until it reaches the designated “fully charged” voltage – typically 4.2 V for most LiPo batteries. This is where the bulk of the charging occurs.
Constant Voltage: Once the battery hits its target voltage, it transitions to constant voltage mode, where the current is gradually reduced. This final stage ensures that the battery is topped off and ready to go without overcharging.
Understanding these stages helps you manage your battery more effectively and ensures optimal charging every time.
Why monitoring matters
The library allows you to check what stage of charging your battery is in at any time. Knowing whether your battery is pre-charging, fast-charging, or maintaining its full charge can help you monitor its health and ensure it is not being overstressed. The ability to monitor charging status also alerts you to potential issues like overvoltage, overheating, or timer faults, so you can intervene and protect your system before any damage occurs.
By giving you control over parameters such as charge voltage, charge current, and end-of-charge current, the library ensures that your battery is charged in the safest and most efficient manner possible. Whether you’re tweaking the current limit for a more gentle charge or adjusting the voltage for a custom battery, these settings help you get the best performance while extending battery life.
With this level of control, you’ll be able to keep your batteries healthy, your devices powered, and your projects running smoothly.
Powering down, saving up: discover power-saving modes for longer life
With modern IoT devices, power efficiency is critical, especially when running on battery for extended periods. That’s where sleep modes come in. The Renesas and ST chips supported by this library feature two essential low-power states – Sleep and Standby – each optimized to help you manage power consumption without sacrificing functionality.
Whether you’re developing an energy-conscious wearable or a long-lasting sensor network, these modes help you strike the perfect balance between performance and efficiency.
Sleep mode: ready when you are
In Sleep mode, your module significantly reduces its power consumption to about half of its normal usage. The best part? When it wakes up, it resumes execution right where it left off. This makes Sleep mode ideal for applications that need to remain responsive while conserving energy. Wake-up triggers can vary depending on your specific board, allowing you to customize how and when your device springs back to life.
Standby mode: for maximum power saving
Standby mode takes energy conservation to the next level, dropping power consumption to as low as 50 uA to 300 uA when peripherals are turned off. This mode is perfect for long-term, battery-dependent applications where energy use is a major concern. Unlike Sleep mode, Standby resets the board upon waking, triggering the setup() function again. This full reset is well-suited for scenarios where occasional wake-ups are acceptable, such as data logging or remote monitoring.
Fine-tuning your sleep strategy
Both the Portenta H7 andPortenta C33 offer flexible wake-up options. You can use a real-time clock alarm for scheduled wake-ups or external stimuli such as sensor input to trigger activity. On the Portenta C33, multiple pins can be configured as wake-up sources, allowing you to seamlessly integrate peripherals like motion sensors or buttons to bring your board out of sleep.
For even more control, toggle your peripherals on and off as needed, ensuring that features like the ADC, RGB LED, Secure Element, Wi-Fi®, and Bluetooth® are only active when required. This granular level of power management means you can tailor your device’s behavior to its environment, making sure energy isn’t wasted.
In both sleep modes, managing your wake-up sources, peripherals, and configurations can significantly extend your device’s battery life, making it a key factor in creating sustainable, long-lasting IoT solutions.
Mbed and Portenta H7: automated efficiency
On Mbed-enabled STM32-based boards like the Portenta H7 and Nicla Vision, sleep management is automatic. The system enters a sleep-like state during idle periods, but you can enhance this by manually managing sleep locks – peripherals or processes that might prevent the module from sleeping. Unlocking these will ensure your board sleeps whenever possible, maximizing efficiency without compromising essential tasks. Check out this example from the underlying Arduino_LowPowerPortentaH7 library for more information about sleep locks.
Power consumption comparison
To give you a clear idea of how power consumption varies across different Arduino Portenta modules, here is a breakdown of current usage with and without power optimizations. This table highlights how effectively sleep modes and peripheral management can reduce power draw, helping you extend battery life in your projects.
Note: Sleep measurements are not available on the Portenta H7 modules because they go to sleep automatically when idling.
Note: These measurements have been taken using a Nordic Power Profiler Kit II through the JST power connector of the Portenta boards. The numbers might be higher when powering through the VIN or 5V pin because it involves more power regulators that are not as efficient as the PF1550’s integrated regulators.
Conclusion
Efficient power management is key to unlocking the full potential of your Arduino Pro projects! With advanced tools like customizable sleep modes, detailed battery monitoring, and flexible peripheral control, you can significantly extend battery life and optimize energy usage across your devices. Whether you’re working with the Portenta H7, Portenta C33, or Nicla Vision, these features allow you to create smarter, more sustainable IoT and wearable solutions that stand the test of time.
Now it’s your turn to put these powerful features to work: elevate your designs, reduce energy consumption, and build products that last longer and perform better. And don’t forget to share your results on Project Hub or the Arduino Forum!
