Arduino projects to save the world
…One Arduino at a Time!
Every scientist or engineer begins life as a hacker. In order to discover something new, one must often
BUILD something new. Fortunately for the ”non-scientists” among us, that paradigm puts us on even
ground!
For instance, temperature was once only a relative term: “Eh… it’s hotter than yesterday, isn’t it?”
Finally someone with a workshop, some raw material, a bit of time on his hands, and a great bit of
creativity invented the thermometer. Suddenly humanity had the ability to quantify “hot” and “cold” in
a universal manner that could be understood across co ntinents. Even more fantastic was the ability to
record and compare these facts, year after year. Even tually, with a large enough data set, humanity was
able to make reasonably approximate predictions .
All this from one man’s ingenuity: simple spheres of glass filled with various mixtures of oil and
other liquids, suspended in a tall glass of water.
Fast-forward several hundred years. We now have the ability to measure so many phenomena that
we can not only predict outcomes but also examine complex ecosystems, understand the cause and
effects of changes within them, and have learned to reduce the negative effects―and sometimes
eliminate them completely. More than any other technology, sensors (which provide the ability to
quantify something) help scientists and everyday people save lives, save resources, and save the world.
It is with this premise that the book you now hold came about. By volunteering a small amount of
their time and effort, normal people should be able to participate actively in scientific data gathering
that benefits the greater good. If we can benefit ourselves along the way, even better!
The Arduino fits into the pictur e by positioning itself as the “bridge” between humans and sensors.
Never has it been easier to learn about microcontrollers, understand sensor te chnology, and write code.
The Arduino makes it all easy by providing a simple hardware and software platform that runs on any
desktop or laptop computer. Furthermore, the programming language in which you write the code that
is to run on the Arduino is an easy C-like language called Processing, which automates all of the difficult
hardware tasks for you. Finally, a standard electronic interface based upon the “shield” concept makes
working with complex hardware a simple matter of plugging in the optional boards. With some basic
electronics knowledge, you can even build your own shields to serve customized purposes.
This book covers several sensor types. In addition, we will interface these sensors to the Arduino
through a series of progressively complex methods. Init ially, simple sensors will be connected directly to
the Arduino inputs or via a breadboard. Once a circuit is verified, we will then build the interface circuits
on prototyping shields or perf board.
BUILD something new. Fortunately for the ”non-scientists” among us, that paradigm puts us on even
ground!
For instance, temperature was once only a relative term: “Eh… it’s hotter than yesterday, isn’t it?”
Finally someone with a workshop, some raw material, a bit of time on his hands, and a great bit of
creativity invented the thermometer. Suddenly humanity had the ability to quantify “hot” and “cold” in
a universal manner that could be understood across co ntinents. Even more fantastic was the ability to
record and compare these facts, year after year. Even tually, with a large enough data set, humanity was
able to make reasonably approximate predictions .
All this from one man’s ingenuity: simple spheres of glass filled with various mixtures of oil and
other liquids, suspended in a tall glass of water.
Fast-forward several hundred years. We now have the ability to measure so many phenomena that
we can not only predict outcomes but also examine complex ecosystems, understand the cause and
effects of changes within them, and have learned to reduce the negative effects―and sometimes
eliminate them completely. More than any other technology, sensors (which provide the ability to
quantify something) help scientists and everyday people save lives, save resources, and save the world.
It is with this premise that the book you now hold came about. By volunteering a small amount of
their time and effort, normal people should be able to participate actively in scientific data gathering
that benefits the greater good. If we can benefit ourselves along the way, even better!
The Arduino fits into the pictur e by positioning itself as the “bridge” between humans and sensors.
Never has it been easier to learn about microcontrollers, understand sensor te chnology, and write code.
The Arduino makes it all easy by providing a simple hardware and software platform that runs on any
desktop or laptop computer. Furthermore, the programming language in which you write the code that
is to run on the Arduino is an easy C-like language called Processing, which automates all of the difficult
hardware tasks for you. Finally, a standard electronic interface based upon the “shield” concept makes
working with complex hardware a simple matter of plugging in the optional boards. With some basic
electronics knowledge, you can even build your own shields to serve customized purposes.
This book covers several sensor types. In addition, we will interface these sensors to the Arduino
through a series of progressively complex methods. Init ially, simple sensors will be connected directly to
the Arduino inputs or via a breadboard. Once a circuit is verified, we will then build the interface circuits
on prototyping shields or perf board.
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