Arduino's New Portenta Proto Kit ME and VE Deliver a Promise of Rapid Prototyping Ease
Bundling a Portenta H7 with a suite of Modulino nodes, 4G GNSS add-on, and one or more Nicla boards, this kit packs a punch.
UPDATE (3/25/2025): Arduino's Portenta Proto Kit VE, the "Vision Environment" variant focused on embedded computer vision projects, is now available to buy — a little later than originally planned.
The Arduino Pro Portenta Kit VE includes a Portenta H7 with Mid Carrier board, a 4G cellular modem, all of the currently-available "Modulino nodes" originally developed for the Arduino Plug and Make Kit, a Nicla Sense Env, and a Nicla Vision. The bundle sits alongside the Portenta Proto Kit ME (Motion Environment) that launched back in January, which swaps out the Nicla Vision and Nicla Sense Env for a Nicla Sense ME.
The Arduino Pro Proto Kit VE is now available to order on the Arduino Store at $429.
Original article continues below.
Arduino has announced the launch of the Arduino Pro Portenta Proto Kit, a mouthful of a name for a bundle it hopes will let engineers, designers, and tinkerers turn ideas into working prototypes quickly and easily — with a choice of motion and vision variants planned.
"The Arduino Pro Portenta Proto Kit is suitable for many industries and countless applications," the Arduino team claims of its latest creation, unveiled today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. "The kit's modular design means you can tailor your prototypes to meet specific requirements, ensuring your projects are always on track. What's more, you’ll often be able to transition from prototyping to production with no redesigns required."
As the name suggests, the heart of the Arduino Pro Portenta Proto Kit is an Portenta H7 development board, bundled with its Mid Carrier board and all currently-available "Modulino nodes," originally designed as part of the Arduino Plug and Make Kit: the Modulino Movement, Modulino Distance, Modulino Thermo, Modulino Knob, Modulino Buzzer, Modulino Pixels, and Modulino Buttons. Elsewhere in the bundle is a 4G cellular modem with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, and three months' access to Arduino Cloud for Business.
The rest of the kit depends on which variant you pick up. The Arduino Pro Portenta Proto Kit Motion Environment (ME), available today, comes with a Nicla Sense ME development board; the Arduino Pro Portenta Proto Kit Vision Environment (VE), launching later this month, swaps this out for a Nicla Vision and a Nicla Sense Env. Finally, Arduino has announced ACE-220 on the Arduino Academy: an eight-hour certification program focused on the kit.
The Portenta Proto Kit ME is now available to order on the Arduino store at $389; the ACE-220 course is available on Arduino Academy.