Arduino Heads East with the New Made-in-India Arduino UNO Ek R4 WiFi, UNO Ek R4 Minima
Unveiled at Davos, the new boards are manufactured natively and come with the promise of local support for Indian makers and educators.
The latest variants of Arduino's ever-popular UNO development board family, the UNO R4 WiFi and UNO R4 Minima, are heading east — launching as the first Arduino boards to be manufactured in India and targeting the local market, as part of the nation's Make in India campaign.
"Available exclusively in India in both WiFi and Minima variants, it is born to meet the needs of the country's growing maker and innovation ecosystem, by combining all the powerful features of the UNO R4 with the benefits of local manufacturing, enhanced availability, and dedicated support for Indian users," the Arduino team explains of the new boards, dubbed the Arduino UNO Ek R4 WiFi and Minima. "In case you are wondering, Ek means 'one' in Hindi, symbolizing unity and simplicity."
Unveiled during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos earlier this month, the new boards were created as part of a national campaign dubbed "Make in India" — designed to encourage not only an increase in science and technology education in India but also a move to manufacturing more high-tech products natively, rather than relying on foreign imports.
"Arduino's decision to manufacture in India reflects the nation's immense potential as a rising global leader in technology," says Arduino's chief executive officer Fabio Violante of the move. "This step embodies our deep belief in the power of collaboration and community. By joining forces with Indian manufacturers, we aim to ignite a culture of innovation that resonates far beyond borders, inspiring creators and visionaries worldwide."
Hardware-wise, there's no distinction between the standard Arduino UNO R4 boards and the Ek variants — bar new labeling on the silkscreen layer. Programs written for the international version will run just fine on the Indian edition and vice-versa, and the boards remain compatible with all existing add-ons. For Indian makers, though, there are a range of advantages: the Arduino team offers "competitive pricing," faster delivery, and local support as reasons for Indian makers to pick the new boards over imported or compatible equivalents.
Arduino has confirmed that the new boards will be available through as-yet unnamed "authorized distributors" throughout India, but will not be officially sold overseas; interested parties can sign up to be notified when boards are available using this form.