Physical computing uses electronics to prototype new and innovative devices. It involves the design of interactive objects that can communicate with humans by using sensors and actuators controlled by a behaviour implemented as software running inside a microcontroller (a small computer on a single chip).
In the past, using electronics meant having to deal with engineers all the time, and building circuits one small component at a time; these issues kept creative people from playing around with the medium directly. Most of the tools were meant for engineers and required extensive knowledge.
In recent years, microcontrollers have become cheaper and easier to use. At the same time, computers have become faster and more powerful, allowing the creation of better (and easier) development tools.
The progress that we have made with Arduino is to bring these tools one step closer to the novice, allowing people to start building stuff after only a day or two of a workshop, or by using this book. With Arduino, a beginner can get to know the basics of electronics and sensors very quickly and can start building prototypes with very little.
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