Arduino's Open-Source Ecosystem and Collaborations Drive Global Innovation

Wevolver: Hello, my name is Kyran, I'm part of the Wevolver team and today we are at Embedded World 2025 and I'm with Stefano from Arduino. Stefano, could you introduce yourself?

Stefano: Absolutely. Ciao Kyran. Hi, Wevolver people. I'm Stefano of Arduino, Marketing Director and I'm happy to welcome you at Embedded World 2025 where we are back with the full power of our open source ecosystem and more than ever our collaborative approach. We have many partnerships with partners from the diverse industries across the world. And as you know, for over two decades now, Arduino has been making it easier for people to access innovation. So I'd be happy to show you around.

Wevolver: Super. Yeah, we're looking forward to really see the collaboration with Bosch, Truesense. Let's go to the wall and have a deeper look. Stefano, Arduino has a lot of partnerships. I'm really curious to learn more. Could you share a bit more about it?

Stefano: Absolutely. As you can see, we have a partner wall this year to show some of the many applications that our partners develop with us. For example, our partner Axelera AI developed an offline chatbot that works on the edge. It's very powerful. And our partner Avnet Silica prepared a high-quality monitor with the Nicla Sense Env and GIGA Display Shield. We also have by Softeq, a non-invasive glucometer that can measure many parameters like blood glucose levels and so on. We also have an interactive LED strips made by our partner Kubii, EBV developed a single pair ethernet network leveraging the new Arduino SPE Shield that works with the Arduino UNO R4 WiFi. Last but not least, we have the UWB finally in our ecosystem.

Wevolver: Awesome. Could you dive a bit deeper into the partnership with Truesense? In which sector do you see this application?

Stefano: Yeah. So it's a very valuable partnership resulting in two new products. So the Arduino Stella and the Portenta UWB Shield. So as you can see, Stella is capable of delivering real-time, high accuracy tracking thanks to the Truesense UWB DCU040. Okay. And it communicates with the UWB Shield, which you can combine with our system-on-module Portenta C33. 

Wevolver: Can we see a bit more of it? 

Stefano: Sure. 

Wevolver: I heard you have an application.

Stefano: Yes. So just to show you how precise it is, I'm gonna show you with the NXP UWB app. So now it's searching for devices and it just found our UWB Shield, as you can see. Look how precise it is. You see?

Wevolver: Where do you see the application of these two products?

Stefano: Well, we believe our vast community will leverage the products a lot in indoor positioning, precision tracking and contactless human-machine interaction.

Wevolver: I see AGV kit here. Would love to learn more about it and the applications.

Stefano: Yes, this is a brand new kit that we developed in partnership with Analog Devices. So it's powered by the Portenta X8 and it supports ROS, the popular robotic operating system, motion control, real time localization with an IMU and GPS on board, and 3D mapping for precise navigation and obstacle detection. So it is ideal for automation in manufacturing and warehousing, but it also can serve as an educational tool. So the product includes Portenta X8 plus a Portenta Mid Carrier and then motor control boards plus localization board plus battery management system plus perception board that makes it easier than ever to develop, well, application in especially three areas. We have the robotics applications. Of course, you can deploy your own AGV, but also small collaborative robots. You can also develop your own e-bike or you can also develop a flying inspection drone. Because think about it, you have the motor control which ensures stable flight and the 3D reception board ensures obstacle detection. It's also a very valuable platform for higher education, for example, and smart home applications, for example, you can develop your own vacuum cleaner or a robotic assistant that can bring you stuff at home.

Wevolver: Stefano, here we have another partnership with System Electronics, a company from Italy. Could you tell us more about it?

Stefano: Yes. This is an application that allows you to add AI-driven for inventory management. So it leverages machine vision. In this case, if you want to get closer, you can see on the right side of the screen the Arduino Cloud platform, and on the left side, what the camera sees. So, as you said, Kyran, we developed that in partnership with Italian company System Electronics. And it's a cutting-edge solution that optimizes inventory tracking, reducing picking errors and improving retrieval speed. So if you want to try it, just try to pick an item from the box. So with real-time computer vision and edge processing, this application verifies item placement, detecting mispicks, and dynamically adjusting storage based on the output here. It's ideal to be integrated with the company's inventory management system. And yeah, we already see many market opportunities for this.

Wevolver: Stefano, what are we seeing here? I'm seeing an automated room control system. What are the applications?

Stefano: This one, the Arduino Opta, a micro PLC we developed in partnership with the company Finder. You can put this one inside a room and it will be able to control environmental data like light, temperature, humidity. It can detect presence, it can switch on and off lights, the HVAC or open doors. So it's an all in one platform that allows for example hotel chains to optimize also energy consumption and improve the guest experience. We have many more demos, so let's do a quick tour. 

Wevolver: Okay, let's do it. 

Stefano: I'm going to show you smart hats. As you all know, personal protective devices like smart helmets are more and more important in many applications, like construction sites for example. So if you move the helmet around, you will see the data on the screen changing real quick. That's because the helmet has a Nicla Sense ME mounted in it that's communicating via Bluetooth to a Portenta H7 which is then showing accelerometer data and environmental data and even gas value, CO2, on the local dashboard. And for example, you can enable man down applications and many more with this one. So moving forward, please follow me to the booth. This will be the top in line Portenta X8 combined with the Portenta Max Carrier that creates a fully functional industrial-grade computer. As many of you know, the Portenta X8 is running Linux Yocto distribution on top of the Arduino ecosystem. Then we also have, I showed you before, the new SPE (Single Pair Ethernet) Shield for the UNO R4. In this application, we are controlling again some environmental data coming from a dedicated sensor. We also have a mood lamp that is talking with the Amazon Alexa that you can switch on and off thanks to the new Arduino Nano Matter. Then, last but not least, we have the Portenta Proto Kit. So Kyran, as you can see in this configuration, we are combining the Portenta H7 with the Mid Carrier with the Nicla Sense Env. So we are detecting air quality CO2, volatile compounds in the air, ethanol, alongside environmental data like temperature and humidity. Combining also the new Modulino in here. Then we have some automated optical inspection applications. And I want to show you. You can try Kyran. So as you can see here on the screen now, there is a Portenta H7 in there, right? So we trained an AI algorithm with Edge Impulse to detect the Portenta H7 via the OpenMV IDE. In this case, try replacing the Portenta H7 with the Nicla in there. As you can see, it has been recognized Nicla Voice and this is an example of AI application that allows you to find different devices, maybe in your production line, right?

Wevolver: Stefano, thanks for all these explanations, but I see it's not done yet. We still have a lot of products being displayed here.

Stefano: Yes, Kyran, absolutely. The Arduino ecosystem has never been bigger. So check out our website (arduino.cc) We have many more products and software available for you all. And stay tuned because in 10 days, there is going to be the Arduino Day celebration. So March 21 and 22. We are 20 years old. We have so many announcements online. We can't wait for it. Thank you again for visiting us at Embedded World 2025.

Wevolver: Awesome. Looking forward. Thanks Stefano.

Stefano: Thank you.

Wevolver: Take care.