NRM: "Meet Olly: a small, rather minimalistically designed gadget which is, according to creator Mint Foundry, a 'web connected smelly robot.' What does this mean? If sight and sound are already stimulated by the very device with which you are reading this from, then imagine adding smell to this combination."
Supposedly designed to help avoid a robot apocalypse, the Creative Robotics and Interactive Construction Kit from Adafruit - Crickit for short - is an add-on for their Circuit Playground Express (CPX), an easy-to-use board with support for CircuitPython, Arduino, or (coming soon) the Microsoft MakeCode programming tool.
Can a new subscription box open the world of cheap microcontrollers to eager amateurs?
There’s nothing quite like the experience of tinkering with gadgets. Taking them apart, repairing them, assembling them, or programming them to do something unique — it’s all fun and interesting.
But not everyone can experience the fun that comes along with tinkering: Many electronics — especially internal hardware — can be confusing and difficult to wrap your head around.
If only there was something that could make the entire process simpler: something universal and easy enough for a layman to use. And believe it or not, there is. It’s called the Arduino board, and it’s a programmable logic controller.
