Open-source electronics platforms for rapid prototyping have already been around for a while, i can think of Arduino board but surely there are more of them.
The low cost, the wide variety of inputs/outputs, the ability to interact with sensors ot to control motors, the ease of use and the community, make these platforms a perfect fit for hobbyist’s and artist’s projects.
Regarding the ease of use, Arduino can be programmed in a c-like language ( additional straightforward libraries to access the board’s functions are provided ) and has a development environment based on the famous Processing.
And now, SUN Spot.
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