Arduino's Plug and Make Kit Offers an Easy Introduction to the Internet of Things

Arduino is aiming to make it easier to get started with physical computing and the Internet of Things with a new starter kit designed for makers of all ages: the Arduino Plug and Make Kit, featuring quick-connect Modulino modules and an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi.

"The Plug and Make Kit is Arduino's new entry point into the world of IoT and electronics: one that is more accessible, fun, and engaging than ever," claims Arduino chief executive officer Fabio Violante of the company's latest bundle. "No matter their age, background or interests, everyone can experience that first taste of technology."

"The components in the Plug and Make Kit can be used to create endless applications — also swiftly integrating with Arduino's full ecosystem of hardware and software tools," Violante continues. "In fact, we can expect Arduino's vast community to develop and share many original ideas soon."

Those components are centered around the Arduino UNO R4 WiFi, the latest version of the ever-popular Arduino UNO microcontroller development board — and the first to move away from eight-bit AVR processors to a more powerful Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex-M4 part with an Espressif ESP32-S3 coprocessor adding Wi-Fi connectivity.

To this, Arduino has added what it calls the Modulino Base, a physical framework to ease the connection of additional hardware — specifically, the Modulino modules also included in the kit. These offer a buzzer, an LED strip, a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), a temperature and humidity sensor, a time-of-flight proximity sensor, buttons, and a knob, all of which bolt into the board and connect via keyed leads to prevent wiring mistakes or loose connections derailing a project.

While some modules are simple enough, others are smart in their own right — packing STMicroelectronics STM23C0 chips on board. "The intuitive Modulino nodes incorporate the high technological standard of our STM32C0 microcontrollers and our sensors," boasts STMicro's Alessandro Maloberti, "both MEMS (LSM6DSOX, LPS22HB) and Time-of-Flight (VL53L4CD). this is the kind of solution that truly puts great potential into people's hands, giving them the best tools along with the freedom to explore."

To get users started with the kit, Arduino has created seven projects aimed at the beginner: a weather-monitoring rain warning system, a digital hourglass, a plant monitor, a game controller, a synthesizer, smartphone-controllable lights, and a gesture-sensing touch-free lamp. Additional projects will follow, the company has confirmed.

The Plug and Make Kit is now available on the Arduino Store and from Farnell/Newark.