Rewind: 50 boards you’ll want to know about from 2015

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Here’s a look at a bunch of boards that caught our attention over the last 12 months. Feel free to share your favorites below! 

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“Hardware becomes a piece of culture that anyone can build upon, like a poem or a song.” – Massimo Banzi

Arduino Zero

A 32-bit Arduino powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D21.

Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101

An IoT shield with CryptoAuthentication that enables you to wirelessly connect your Arduino or Genuino with ease.

Arduino MKR1000

A powerful board that combines the functionality of the Zero and the connectivity of the Wi-Fi Shield.

Atmel | SMART SAM L21

A game-changing family of Cortex-M0+ MCUs that deliver power consumption down to 35 µA/MHz in active mode and 200nA in sleep mode.

BTLC1000

An ultra-low power Bluetooth Smart SoC with an integrated ARM Cortex-M0 MCU and transceiver.

Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2

An ARM Cortex-A5-based MPU that offers great features integrated into lower pin count packages, making it ideal for applications where security, power consumption and space constraints are key considerations.

Atmel | SMART SAM S70/E70

An ARM Cortex-M7-based MCU with a floating point unit (FPU) that’s ideal for connectivity and general purpose industrial applications.

ATmegaS128

A space-ready version of the popular ATmega128.

Adafruit Feather

A new line of development boards that, like it’s namesake, are thin, light and let your ideas fly. Expect Feather to become a new standard for portable MCU cores.

Adafruit METRO 328

An ATmega328-driven processor packed with plenty of GPIO, analog inputs, UART, SPI and I2C, timers, and PWM galore – just enough for most simple projects.

Arduino GEMMA

A miniature wearable board based on the ATtiny85.

Adafruit Bluefruit LE Micro

A board that rolls the versatility of the ATmega32U4 and the wireless connectivity of the SPI Bluefruit LE Friend all into one.

SparkFun Stepoko

An Arduino-compatible, 3-axis control solution that runs grbl software.

SparkFun SAM D21 Breakout

An Arduino-sized breakout for the ATSAMD21G18.

Bosch Sensortec BMF055

A compact 9-axis motion sensor, which incorporates an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer along with an Atmel | SMART SAM D20 ARM Cortex M0+ core.

BNO055 Xplained Pro

A new extension board, which features a BNO055 intelligent 9-axis absolute orientation sensor, that connects directly to Atmel’s Xplained board making it ideal for prototyping projects for IoT apps.

SmartEverything

A prototyping platform that combines SIGFOX, BLE, NFC, GPS and a suite of sensors. Essentially, it’s the Swiss Army knife for the IoT.

Qduino Mini

A tiny, Arduino-compatible board with a built-in battery connector and charger built-in, as well as a fuel gauge.

Tessel 2

A dev board with a SAM D21 coprocessor, reliable Wi-Fi, an Ethernet jack, two USB ports and a system that runs real Node.js/io.js.

LattePanda

A Windows 10 single-board computer equipped with an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and an ATmega32U4 coprocessor.

LightBlue Bean+

An Arduino-compatible board that is programmed wirelessly using Bluetooth Low Energy.

Makey Makey GO

A thumbdrive-shaped device that can transform ordinary objects into touch pads.

Hak8or

An uber mini, DIY board based on an Atmel | SMART AT91SAM9N12 that runs Linux via a USB drive.

Modulo

A set of tiny modular circuit boards that takes the hassle out of building electronics.

Microduino mCookie

A collection of small, magnetically stackable modules that can bring your LEGO projects to life.

The AirBoard

A compact, open source, wireless and power efficient dev board designed to learn, sketch and deploy prototypes out in the field.

Autonomo

A matchbox-sized, Arduino-compatible MCU powered by a small solar panel.

Helium

An integrated platform that brings the power of the cloud to the edge of the network, enabling you to observe, learn and capture actionable insights from existing physical ‘things’ in your environment.

Sense HAT

An add-on for the Raspberry Pi equipped with a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a temperature sensor, a barometric pressure sensor and a humidity sensor, as well as a five-button joystick and an 8×8 RGB LED matrix — all powered by an LED driver chip and an ATtiny88 running custom firmware.

Ardhat

A HAT with an Arduino-compatible processor that responds quickly to real-time events, while letting the Raspberry Pi do all of the heavy lifting.

Wino

A cost-effective, Arduino-compatible board with built-in Wi-Fi.

pico-Platinchen

A little board designed for wearable devices that features a BNO055, an ATmega328P and a CR2032 coin-cell battery.

 XeThru X2M200 and X2M300

A pair of adaptive smart sensor modules that can monitor human presence, respiration and other vital information.

LinkIt Smart 7688 Duo

An Arduino Yún-friendly platform powered by an ATmega32U4 and MediaTek MT7688 SoC.

Piccolino

A small, inexpensive controller with an embedded OLED display and Wi-Fi connectivity that you can program using existing tools like the Arduino IDE.

ZeroPi

A next-generation, Arduino and Raspberry Pi-compatible dev kit for robotic motion structure systems and 3D printers that boasts an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 at its core.

CryptoShield

A dedicated security peripheral for the Arduino and was made in collaboration with SparkFun’s previous hacker-in-residence, Josh Datko. This shield adds specialized ICs that perform various cryptographic operations which will allow you to add a hardware security layer to your Arduino project.

ZYMKEY

An add-on board that makes it easy to secure your Raspberry Pi and Linux applications.

Flip & Click

A two-sided, Arduino-like board with an AT91SAM3X8E for its heart.

ChipWhisperer-Lite

An open source toolchain for embedded hardware security research including side-channel power analysis and glitching. The board uses a Spartan 6 LX9, along with a 105 MS/s ADC, low-noise amplifier, an Atmel | SMART SAM3U chip for high-speed USB communication, MOSFETs for glitch generation and an XMEGA128 as a target device.

KeyDuino

An Arduino Leonardo-like board with built-in NFC that lets you replace your keys with any smartphone, NFC ring or proximity card.

Neutrino

An inexpensive, open source and shrunken-down version of the Arduino Zero that boasts a 32-bit ATSAMD21G18 running at 48MHz and packing 32K of RAM.

WIOT

An open source, Arduino-compatible board with an ATmega32U4, ESP8266 Wi-Fi module and lithium-ion battery support.

Obscura

An ATmega32U4-powered, 8-bit synthesizer that enables you to create NES, C64 and Amiga-style chiptune music by simply connecting a MIDI device.

Zodiac FX

An OpenFlow switch that is powerful enough to develop world-changing SDN apps yet small enough to sit on your desk. Based on an Atmel | SMART SAM4E, the unit includes four 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports with integrated magnetics and indicator LEDs along with a command line interface accessible via USB virtual serial port.

Goldilocks Analogue

A board that brings sophisticated analog and audio input, output and storage capabilities to the Arduino environment.

NodeIT

A super small and expandable IoT system for Makers.

Pixel

A smart display that features an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 MCU operating at 48MHz and packing 32K of RAM, along with a 1.5” 128×128 pixel OLED screen and a microSD slot.

SDuino

An Arduino crammed inside an SD card.

… and how could we not mention this?

The WTFDuino!

Do you feel like today’s MCUs are too simple and sensible? Well, one Maker decided to take a different approach by “undesigning” the Arduino into a banana-shaped processor whose form factor is impossible to breadboard and whose pins are incorrectly labelled.

 

The Autonomo lets you easily connect your IoT devices outdoors

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SODAQ is bringing the Internet of Things outdoors with its new matchbox-sized, solar-powered board. 

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It’s safe to say that a vast majority of Kickstarter projects focused around the M2M and IoT space are seemingly designed with indoor connectivity in mind. As a result, Makers are often challenged with finding a decent solution to power their smart devices that can be easily and reliability implemented outdoors. Cognizant of this, SODAQ has developed a next-generation, Arduino-comaptible board that is capable of recording data and triggering actions in any environment — whether it’s in a rural area, on the beach or throughout the house.

If the name of the Dutch startup sounds familiar, that’s because the team had launched an incredibly successful crowdfunding campaign back in 2013 for their LEGO-like, plug and play prototyping board. With an ATmega328P as its brain, the multi-feature microprocessor enabled both Makers and engineers to easily connect a wide variety of sensors and devices to the Internet.

Back again with a new matchbox-sized board, Autonomo is built around an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 MCU and is equipped with a Bee Socket that can host up to 10 different communication modules, including Wi-Fi, GPRS, 3G, LoRa, SIGFOX and Bluetooth to name a few. Given its Cortex M0+ 32-bit core, the unit can do just about as much as a Raspberry Pi while consuming 100 times less energy. Impressively, the board can be powered by a solar panel no larger than a smartphone, thereby allowing it to become self-sufficient and autonomous, hence its name.

“The new M0+ processor packs computing power which is comparable to the first Mac. It will make you wonder why you ever used anything else. We also have created a Grove shield for you to use with all of your favorite Grove modules (sensors and actuators),” the team writes.

With all of the data services available online today, the Autonomo comes with a simple set of visual programming tools that will help Makers easily upload their codes to any gadget. What’s more is that the focus lies on outdoor applications that run efficiently and on extremely low power. Meaning, if a user wants to devise their own application, such as a solar radiation alert, SODAQ has made a plethora of open source example code readily accessible. Next to that there is a complete library to let FIWARE developers upload data to the Orion context broker.

Looking forward to tinkering around and bringing your hacks to the most remote corners of the planet? Neither can the crew at SODAQ. In order to bring their technology to the masses, its creators have launched Autonomo on Kickstarter with aspirations of garnering $11,380. Delivery is slated for October 2015.

25 dev boards to help you get started on your next IoT project

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A closer look at some of today’s most popular development boards to help you get started on your next IoT design.

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With billions of everyday objects expected to become Internet-enabled over the next couple of years, Makers are continually seeking new ways to add connectivity to their designs. As a result, hobbyists and engineers are turning to a wide range of IoT development boards and platforms to better accelerate and ease the process.

Being at the heart of the IoT and all, we’ve decided to compile a list of just some of today’s most popular, Atmel powered ones that will surely help as you embark on your next prototype or project. (Keep in mind, there are countless others, with new ones popping up on the daily!)

SAM R21 Xplained Pro

The Atmel | SMART SAM R21 Xplained Pro is a hardware platform to evaluate the ATSAMR21G18A microcontroller. Supported by the Atmel Studio integrated development platform, the kit provides easy access to the features of the Atmel ATSAMR21G18A and explains how to integrate the device in a custom design. The Xplained Pro MCU series evaluation kits include an on-board Embedded Debugger, and no external tools are necessary to program or debug the ATSAMR21G18A. A great option for those developing an 802.15.4/ZigBee design.

Arduino Uno

The Arduino Uno R3 is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which six can be used as PWM outputs), six analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. Simply connect it to a computer via a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

Arduino Yún

The Arduino Yún is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega32U4 and the Atheros AR9331. The board comes with built-in Ethernet and Wi-Fi support, along with a USB-A port, microSD card slot, 20 digital input/output pins (of which seven can be used as PWM outputs and 12 as analog inputs), a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a micro USB connection, an ICSP header, and three reset buttons. What’s more, Facebook’s Parse recently unveiled a new line of SDKs for connected devices with the first Arduino SDK targeted for the Yún.

Arduino Pro Mini

Intended for semi-permanent installation in connected objects, the Arduino Pro Mini is based on the ATmega328. The board boasts 14 digital input/output pins (of which six can be used as PWM outputs), six analog inputs, an on-board resonator, a reset button, and holes for mounting pin headers. A six-pin header can be connected to an FTDI cable or Sparkfun breakout board to provide USB power and communications.

Arduino Nano

The Arduino Nano is a small, breadboard-friendly board based on the ATmega328. The microcontroller has more or less the same functionality of the Arduino Duemilanove, but in a different package. It lacks a DC power jack, and works with a Mini-B USB cable instead of a standard one.

Pinoccio

With an Atmel ATmega256RFR2 at its core, Pinoccio is a wireless, web-ready MCU packed with Wi-Fi, LiPo battery and a built-in radio. Each unit can communicate with one another using a mesh network, making them 14 times more efficient than standard Wi-Fi devices.

TinyDuino

The TinyCircuits TinyDuino is an Arduino-compatible, ATmega328P based board in an ultra-compact package that provides Makers with the full power of an Uno in a size that’s less than a quarter.

UDOO

UDOO is a multi-development platform solution for Android, Linux, Arduino and Google ADK 2012. The board, which is built upon an ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and Atmel | SMART SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 CPU, is designed to provide a flexible environment that lets Makers explore the new frontiers of the Internet of Things and switch between Linux and Android in a matter of seconds, simply by replacing the MicroSD card and rebooting the system.

Libelium Waspmote

Waspmote is an open-source, ATmega1281 based wireless sensor platform specially focused on the implementation of low consumption modes to enable the sensor nodes to be completely autonomous and battery powered, offering a variable lifetime between one and five years depending on the duty cycle and the radio used.

The AirBoard

The AirBoard is a thumb-sized, all-in-one MCU designed for ultra-fast prototyping on IoT projects. The open-source board is equipped with an ATmega328P and pre-loaded with the standard Arduino Fio bootloader. The wireless-friendly computer supports automatic over-the-air programming via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or XBee, and can be controlled by smartphone or the web.

Tessel 2

Tessel 2 is an affordable, accessible and robust development platform that lets Makers build connected hardware devices. The board packs built-in Wi-Fi, an Ethernet jack, a pair of USB ports, and a system that runs real Node.js/io.js. Meanwhile, it employs a processor/coprocessor architecture, combining an Atmel | SMART SAM D21 Cortex M0+ MCU to control I/O and a Mediatek MT7260n Wi-Fi router SoC to run user code, host USB devices and handle the network connections.

panStamps

panStamps are small wireless modules programmable within the Arduino IDE. Each module contains an Atmega328P MCU and an RF interface, providing the necessary connectivity and processing power to create autonomous low-power wireless motes.

Flutter

Flutter is a $36 wireless Arduino with a half-mile range that lets users develop mesh networking protocols and connected devices in an efficient yet inexpensive manner. It’s perfect for robotics, consumer electronics, wireless sensor networks, and educational platforms. Flutter is packed with a powerful Atmel | SMART SAM3S Cortex-M3 processor, while an ATSHA204 crypto engine keeps it protected from digital intruders.

SODAQ

SODAQ is a LEGO-like rapid prototyping board driven by an ATmega328P that gives Makers and engineers the ability to easily connect a wide variety of sensors and devices to the Internet efficiently. With its solar powered data acquisition technology, data can be collected virtually anywhere and seamlessly transferred to the web.

IMUduino BTLE

Billed as the smallest Arduino Leonardo compatible clone, the IMUduino includes an ATmega32U4 at its core, as well as USB keyboard/mouse emulation, on-board Bluetooth LE, real-time orientation and motion sensing IMU, as well as a 10V max voltage regulator.

SparkFun RedBoard

The SparkFun RedBoard combines the simplicity of the Arduino Uno’s Optiboot bootloader, the stability of the FTDI and the R3 shield compatibility of the latest Arduino Uno. The ATmega328 based board can be programmed over a USB Mini-B cable using the Arduino IDE.

XinoRF

The XinoRF is an Arduino-compatible electronics development board with an onboard 2-way Ciseco SRF data radio, which supports over-the-air programming, features built-in wireless capabilities and is powered by an ATmega328P.

The Rascal

The Rascal is a small, AT91SAM9G20 powered computer that Makers can use to monitor and control their connected world remotely. In addition, it features its own web-based editor on-board, is compatible with most Arduino shields, and can be programmed in Python.

Microduino

Microduino is a quarter-sized Arduino-like board with an ATmega328P at its heart. With a unique UPin-27 pinout, Microduino’s plug-and-play modules can be easily stacked together to add functionalities.

Nanode

Nanode is an open-source, Arduino-like board that is equipped with built-in Internet connectivity and based on an ATmega328P. The low-cost, upgradeable board is ideal for those looking to bring their IoT ideas to life.

OpenKontrol Gateway

The OpenKontrol Gateway is an ATmega328 driven kit that enables communication between many common mediums and protocols. It is totally compatable with the Arduino IDE and supports Wi-Fi, low-power RF, Ethernet and Bluetooth. Beyond that, it can be configured with on-board SRAM, an SD card, a real-time clock, and a coin-cell battery and sports an FTDI programming port.

Arietta G25

Arietta G25 is an uber-mini system-on-module powered by a SAM9G25 ARM9 processor. The 20mm x 50mm board, which was developed with the Maker community in mind, is ideal for low-power, embedded gadgets and other DIY IoT devices.

WIOT

WIOT is an open-source, rechargeable development board for the Internet of Things built around the ATmega32U4. WIOT also boasts integrated Wi-Fi capabilities through an on-board ESP8266 module.

SmartEverything

SmartEverything is a dev board equipped with sensor options, communication interfaces and connection to the cloud for IoT designs. An Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M0+ based CPU USB host orchestrator chip manages traffic between peripherals, while an Atmel CryptoAuthentication device (ATSHA204) enables the implementation of a full security SHA-256 hash algorithm with message authentication code. The board utilizes the SIGFOX global network cellular connectivity solution to enable access to the IoT.

Apio

Apio is an open-source IoT platform, which lets Makers and designers create their own smart systems and connected objects in a matter of minutes. It is comprised of two USB devices, the General and Dongle, both of which are based on an ATmega256RFR2 and ATmega16U2, along with a custom operating system and SDK.

LightBlue Bean

The LightBlue Bean is a Bluetooth Low Energy, Arduino-compatible microcontroller. Using Bluetooth 4.0, it is wirelessly programmed, runs on a coin cell battery and is perfect for smartphone-controlled projects. Powered by an ATmega328P, the board features a three-axis accelerometer, a temperature sensor, an RGB LED, and includes iOS, OS X and Windows 8 support.

Winning with Atmel on Kickstarter

Kickstarter first opened its virtual doors on April 28, 2009. Since then, the wildly popular crowdfunding website has tracked over $1 billion in pledges from 5.9 million individuals who actively funded 59,000 creative projects.

Unsurprisingly, quite a number of Atmel-powered Kickstarter projects have been successfully funded over the past year, including:

MicroView



MicroView is a chip-sized platform with a built-in OLED (64×48) display that allows Makers to see what the Atmel-based board is “thinking” without having to link with a PC.

The device, designed by the Geek Ammo crew, is built around Atmel’s versatile ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU).



1Sheeld

Integreight’s 1Sheeld – designed around Atmel’s ATMega162 MCU – is an easily configurable shield for Arduino boards.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/integreight/1sheeld-replace-your-arduino-shields-with-your-sma

Essentially, 1Sheeld connects to a mobile Android app that allows users to take advantage of various smartphone features including the display, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, GSM, Wi-Fi and GPS.

DIWire



The first desktop CNC wire bender recently hit Kickstarter with an Atmel MCU (ATxmega192/TinyG) under the hood.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1638882643/diwire-the-first-desktop-wire-bender

Designed by Pensa Labs, the DIWire transforms drawn curves into bent wire that can be assembled to make just about anything.

Primo



Primo can best be described as a playful physical programming interface that helps teach children programming logic without the need for literacy.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1039674461/primo-teaching-programming-logic-to-children-age-4

Powered by an Atmel-based Arduino board, the Primo play-set uses shapes, colors and spacial awareness to instruct programming logic through a tactile, warm and magical learning experience

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Robox



Robox is a 3D printing and micro-manufacturing platform designed byC Enterprise Ltd. (CEL).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robox/robox-desktop-3d-printer-and-micro-manufacturing-p?ref=live

Driven by an ARM-based Atmel chip, the Robox was designed by its creators to “demystify” the 3D printing process.

The EX¹ 

The Atmel-powered (ATmega2560) EX¹ allows Makers and engineers to quickly print circuit boards on a wide variety of material.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cartesianco/the-ex1-rapid-3d-printing-of-circuit-boards

Simply put, the EX¹ is helping to transform electronics and prototyping in the same way that conventional 3D printing revolutionized traditional manufacturing.

Touch Board: Interactivity Everywhere



The Touch Board is an Atmel-powered platform (ATmega32U4 MCU) that allows Makers to more easily create interactive and responsive projects.

The Touch Board can change the world around you by turning almost any material or surface into a sensor.

Flutter

Flutter is an open source Atmel-powered wireless platform with a 1000m+ (3200 ft) range.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flutterwireless/flutter-20-wireless-arduino-with-half-mile-1km-ran

Protected from digital intruders by Atmel’s ATSHA204 which offers 256-bit AES hardware encryption, Flutter makes it easy for DIY Makers to build projects that communicate across a house, neighborhood and beyond.

Hex ‘Copter

Hex – powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4 – is a 3D-printed nanocopter that can be controlled using the gravity sensors in a mobile device.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1387330585/hex-a-copter-that-anyone-can-fly

Essentially, Hex imitates the movement of the smartphone or a tablet in the air. In addition, traditional throttle, elevator, aileron, rudder control systems can be used to operate your Hex.

ATtiny85 ISP!



Designed by Ben Escobedo, the open source ATtiny85 ISP! can probably best be described as a breakout prototyping board for Atmel’s ATtiny85/45/25 lineup.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rullywowr/attiny85-isp-shrink-your-arduino-projects-with-eas?ref=live

The project’s goal? Allowing Makers to take advantage of the ATtiny85 chip’s potential, while using the familiar Arduino IDE and harnessing the super awesome support from the Arduino community.

Agent Smartwatch



Atmel’s SAM4S and tinyAVR MCUs are inside the Agent smartwatch which raised well over a million dollars on the crowdfunding website.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/secretlabs/agent-the-worlds-smartest-watch

The next-gen smartwatch offers brand-new technology, world-class developer tools, unparalleled battery life and Qi wireless charging.

Blinky Tape



BlinkyTape – powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4 – is a portable LED strip with 60 pixels and an integrated USB-programmable light processor.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/740956622/blinkytape-the-led-strip-reinvented

Additional key specs include 32KB Flash memory, 2.5KB RAM, 1KB EEPROM, a micro USB connector for power and data, as well as an on-board micro switch for interactive applications.

Vega Edge



Made of laser-cut leather, the Atmel-powered, Arduino-based Edge is a wearable light that snaps securely onto your clothing with the help of four strong neodymium magnets.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868814363/vega-edge

You can wear it discreetly by day or brightly at night with your winter coat, cardigan, hood, scarf, handbag, collar, pocket, belt, or wherever you’d like a touch of light.

The Open Enigma Project

Designed by the ST-Geotronics crew, the Open Enigma (M4) Project – powered by an Atmel-based Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) – first surfaced towards the end of 2013.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/438986934/the-open-enigma-project

When it went live on Kickstarter, the Open Engima successfully raised over $62,000, facilitating the implementation of several important stretch goals.

Skirmos: Open Source Laser Tag

Skirmos is an open source, versatile laser tag system that features an ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU), Arduino bootloader, color LCD screen (acts as a realtime HUD) and an infrared LED.

Skirmos currently offers a trio of preset gametypes: basic, free-for-all and team slayer. However, the platform is ultimately expected to boast an almost unlimited number of gametypes.

OSCAR: Open Screen Adapter



OSCAR is a super high resolution 9.7″ screen with an Atmel-powered (ATmega32u4) adapter that allows users to easily link the display to their PC, Mac or Linux machine.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1859884318/oscar-the-open-screen-adapter?ref=live

The board is Arduino compatible ,which makes modifying the behavior easy, as all the software and hardware is open source.

DigiX

DigiX is an Atmel-based development board (AT91SAM3X8E) with WiFi and Mesh networking, Audio, USB OTG, microSD and 99 i/o pins.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digistump/digix-the-ultimate-arduino-compatible-board-with-w?ref=live

The DigiX was designed to be a dev board ready for any project – with no compromises.

Reactor Core – Arduino/AVR Programmer, DIY Soldering Kit



The Reactor Core is a hardware programming platform for Arduino boards and stand-alone AVR-based microcontrollers (MCUs).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1257390142/reactor-core-arduino-avr-programmer-diy-soldering?ref=live

Designed by Frank Fox, the Reactor Core is powered by Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU and an FT232R for USB to serial communication.

King’s Assembly Mouse

Solid Art Labs recently debuted the King’s Assembly – a unique device that packs a high-precision laser mouse, full mechanical keyboard and an analog joystick into a single platform.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/70308014/kings-assembly-a-computer-mouse-full-of-awesome

Atmel’s AT90USB128 MCU powers this three-in-one mouse. Key features include 30 keys for each hand, finger key rows angled for fast access and a two-axis analog joystick for each thumb.

Pi-Bot

The Atmel-powered Pi-Bot (ATmega328) is a hands-on robotic learning platform for both students and professional engineers.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1158090852/pi-bot-the-next-great-tool-in-robotics-learning-pl?ref=category#

According to STEM Center USA CEO Melissa Jawaharlal, the team designed the Pi-Bot from the ground up to optimize functionality and ensure affordability.

Game Frame: The Art of Pixels



Game Frame – an Arduino-based grid of 256 ultra-bright LED pixels – was designed by Jeremy Williams to showcase pixel art and old school video games.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jerware/game-frame-the-art-of-pixels

As Williams notes, video game artists used to draw everything with a sheet of graph paper, a few colors and a couple of animation frames.

Robot Army Starter Kit

The Robot Army is a DIY Delta Robot kit powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328 microcontroller for the rapidly growing Maker community.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1984252088/robot-army-starter-kit?ref=footer

The kit includes all mechanical pieces in grey and neon yellow plastic (the yellow fluoresces under black light), spacers, brackets, ball bearings and hardware required for assembly. In addition, the kit is packed with electronic components, PCB and wire harnesses.

MicroSlice: Mini Laser Cutter & Engraver



The MicroSlice is a mini laser cutter and engraver.

The open source platform, powered by an Atmel-based Arduino Uno (ATmega328), is currently being promoted as a kit that takes approximately 15 hours to build.

uARM: Miniature Industrial Robot



This four-axis parallel-mechanism desktop robot arm is modeled after the ABB industrial PalletPack robot and is built around Atmel’s ATmega328 MCU which powers a custom board.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufactory/uarm-put-a-miniature-industrial-robot-arm-on-your?ref=live

The uARM platform is constructed with acrylic or wood parts and fitted with standard RC hobby servos.

Smart Nixie Tube



The Smart Nixie Tube is an open source platform powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328p.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/popshields/smart-nixie-tube?ref=live

Designed by Tyler Nehowing, the platform is fully programmable using the unmodified Arduino IDE, as it appears as an Arduino Uno running at 16MHz/5V.

OpenBCI: An Open Source Brain-Computer Interface For Makers

OpenBCI – designed by Joel Murphy & Conor Russomanno – is a low-cost programmable open-source EEG platform that offers Makers easy access to their brainwaves. In addition to an ADS1299 IC, the OpenBCI is equipped with Atmel’s ATmega328 (+ Arduino’s latest bootloader).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openbci/openbci-an-open-source-brain-computer-interface-fo?ref=live

The project’s vision? 

”To realize the potential of the open-source movement to accelerate innovation in brain science through collaborative hardware and software development.”

White Bread Shield for Arduino

Mark Davidson recently designed an Atmel-powered (ATmega328) Arduino prototyping shield that can also be used as a stand-alone board for various DIY Maker projects.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1214533021/white-bread-shield-for-arduino?ref=live

Dubbed the “White Bread Shield,” the platform is compatible with Arduino Uno boards.

Hauntbox



The Hauntbox is a prop controller and automation machine that is browser-configured and open source.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1020117671/hauntbox

The ATmega2560-based platform allows Makers to easily automate inputs and outputs without the need for complex programming.

ControlLeo

ControLeo – designed by two retired Silicon Valley engineers – can probably best be described as a quad relay controller enclosed in a professional box.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1471240030/controleo-an-arduino-compatible-controller?ref=live

The platform is driven by Atmel’s ATmega32u4 paired with an Arduino Leonardo boot loader.

FEZ Medusa



FEZ Medusa is an open source hardware (OSHW) processor board powered by Atmel’s ATmega328P.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1359959821/an-arduino-compatible-electronic-building-block-sy?ref=search

Aptly described as “electronic building blocks” by the GHI Electronics crew, the Fez Medusa is designed to keep soldering irons optional with a comprehensive ecosystem of mainboards, sensors and control modules.

Rapid IoT prototyping with SODAQ

The Atmel-based SODAQ (ATmega328P) is a LEGO-like, plug-in, rapid prototyping board.

Simply put, the multi-feature microprocessor board allows both Makers and engineers to easily connect a wide variety of sensors and devices to the Internet.

Oscilloscope Watch

A Maker by the name of Gabriel Anzziani recently designed a rather impressive oscilloscope watch built around Atmel’s versatile ATxmega256A3U MCU.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/920064946/oscilloscope-watch

The device boasts all the trappings of a modern watch (time, calendar and alarm), along with all the features of the popular Xprotolab – oscilloscope, waveform generator, logic analyzer, protocol sniffer and frequency counter.

GPS Cookie

Developed by Richard Haberkern, the open source GPS Cookie is built around Atmel’s popular ATmega328P.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardhaberkern/gps-cookie-leaving-crumbs-wherever-it-goes

The Cookie’s compact form factor (available in two form factors, or shapes) makes it easy to carry, experiment with and expand.

Little Robot Friends



Little Robot Friends are both interactive and customizable, each with a unique and evolving personality.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aesthetec/little-robot-friends?ref=home_spotlight

According to Mark Argo of Aesthetec Studio, the Little ‘bot family is built around Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU. Each Little Robot is powered by two rechargeable AAA batteries and depending on the frequency of use, should last for weeks or months on a single charge.

Lumapad



The Lumapad is an open source, high intensity, 8000 lumen LED lighting system built around Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU and an (optional) electric IMP.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardhaberkern/open-source-ultra-bright-led-light-pad-with-wifi-a

According to project designer Richard Haberkern, 32 ultra-bright LEDs are positioned in a landscape array to provide bright, even and controllable lighting, drawing only 88 watts. Last, but certainly not least, a built in electronic dimmer makes the light intensity adjustable to fit just about any environment.

Delta Six Game Controller



The Delta Six mirrors the look of a modern military combat rifle, including real time aiming as well as a kickback sensation. The Atmel-powered, Arduino-based Delta Six was developed using IR sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to provide unparalleled arcade experience.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/356540105/delta-six-a-new-kind-of-game-controller

The controller is compatible with Xbox 360, Play Station 3, and PC systems – and upgradeable for next-gen systems like Playstation 4.

Neko – A Color Field Oil Painter



Created by Laura Lippincott, Neko was brought to life with an Arduino Mega (Atmel ATmega1280), hobby parts and a 3D printer.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/painterbot/neko-a-color-field-oil-painter?ref=live

The ‘bot is currently being primed with color data in an attempt to make him more creative.

Smart Citizen Kit

Designed by Acrobotic, the Smart Citizen Kit is an open-source environmental monitoring platform powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acrobotic/the-smart-citizen-kit-crowdsourced-environmental-m?ref=live

Dubbed the Ambient Board, the Kit hardware comprises two printed-circuit boards – an interchangeable daughterboard or shield, and an Arduino-compatible data-processing board. As the name suggests, it is equipped with sensors to measure air composition (CO and NO2), temperature, light intensity, sound levels and humidity.

Sparki – The Easy Robot for Everyone


Sparki is an easy to use Arduino-based robot (ATmega32u4RC) that offers a fun introduction to programming, electronics and robotics.

Although Sparki is simple enough for beginners, the ‘bot is packed with more than enough features to satisfy more experienced Makers.

Linkbot



Designed by Barobo, the Linkbot  is a modular robot platform powered by Atmel’s ATmega128RFA1 (running at 16MHz) that boasts 100oz-in (7.2 Kg-cm) of torque and a free-run speed of 300 deg/sec.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/barobo/linkbot-create-with-robots

IoT: A pivotal catalyst for the ICT industry

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to be a key area of interest for IT buyers and sellers in 2014, as well as a pivotal catalyst for the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry. According to analysts at Frost & Sullivan (Asia Pacific), the explosion of IoT activity over the next few years will be driven by a nexus of low cost sensors, cloud computing, advanced data analytics and mobility.

Rapid IoT prototyping with the Atmel-powered SODAQ

“Numerous opportunities will emerge as more and more data is generated by machines (‘things’) than human beings,” explained Frost & Sullivan VP Andrew Milroy. “These include the ability to analyze and use vast amounts of data, to store data and source application functionality in/from the cloud, to create, manage and support apps that enable the operation and management of IoT implementations and to provide high speed connectivity between objects and the people, who work with them and use them.”

Nitin Bhat, Partner, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, expressed similar sentiments and noted that service providers will be required to to re-evaluate their portfolio, introducing new services targeted at the digital lifestyle of the consumer and their participation in the paradigm of Internet of Things.

FizzJelly with Atmel and the IoT

Meanwhile, Vivek Vaidya, Vice President, VP, Automotive & Transport Practice, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, said the Google vehicle provides a hint of the immense possibilities with the convergence of the car with the Internet.

For example, its 360 degree Laser Detection (LIDAR) has made it possible to achieve map-accuracy as close as 10cm – an important milestone in automotive navigation input capabilities. In addition, connecting the car to the cloud is likely to bring about a host of opportunities, ranging from self-driving cars to involvement of artificial intelligence software in which there will be no driver involvement.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

“We expect that the car will eventually be connected to the following; Home (Home Energy Management System), OEM (Location based services), Infrastructure (Vehicle to Vehicle Communication) and Social (Social Network),” added Vaidya. “However, as car manufacturers are not yet equipped to drive the transformation of the ‘smart cars’, this is a lucrative opportunity for ICT companies to work with automobile manufacturers to transform the industry.”

Rapid IoT prototyping with SODAQ

The Atmel-powered SODAQ (ATmega328P) is a LEGO-like, plug-in, rapid prototyping board. Essentially, the multi-feature microprocessor board allows both Makers and engineers to easily connect a wide variety of sensors and devices to the Internet.

“It’s designed for connecting things efficiently, running off-grid with built-in, ready-to-go solar power. [That is why] we designed the SODAQ system (SOlar Data AcQuisition) to be able to communicate from anywhere, with a GPRS module and all the control code for it included from the start,” the SODAQ team wrote in a recent Kickstarter post.

“[There is] no breadboarding or soldering required. SODAQ [boasts] plenty of memory, sockets, solar panel, battery control and extra features – all on one board. [It is equipped with] built-in sockets for Grove modules; a real-time clock; extended flash memory; USB on-board and a Bee socket (WiFi/RF/XBee or compatible plugin).”

According to the SODAQ crew, early iterations of the board have already been deployed to various locations in Peru and Tanzania, where they are helping link weather stations, big commercial irrigation and school projects to the Internet. First-gen SODAQ boards have also been used to power an environmental monitoring system, tracking ecological factors for a WWF whale shark research project in the Indian Ocean.

“The (early version) SODAQ board with its built-in ability to handle all the power/solar/GPRS communications and easy plug in sockets for sensors made this project really simple. [It] saved thousands of dollars compared to commercial data loggers/large solar panels/industrial modem set-ups,” the SODAQ crew explained. “We’ve also already used it as the core to connect up weather, soil and river monitoring for small subsistence farmers in cooperatives in East Africa, for big irrigation management on large commercial farms and for a bunch of projects in the UK and Holland.”

Key SODAQ specs include:

• ATmega328P MCU running at 3.3V and 8MHz.
• Power Supply by LiPo Battery (3.7V) (supplied LiPo: 1,000mAh) or USB Cable.
• Programming by USB cable (and ICSP header also included).
• Solar Charge controller & JST connector for solar panel up to 2.5W (supplied panel: 0.5W).
• Battery monitor.
• DS3231 real time clock and temperature sensor.
• 16 MBit data flash module (AT45DB).
• Micro USB connector.
• 12 Grove connectors connecting Digital, Analog and I2C pins.
• On/off switch.
• Active solar charge circuit and powered RTC clock – even when switch is in “off” position.

Interested in learning more about the Atmel-powered SODAQ? You can check out the project’s official Kickstarter page here.