INST388F

Students will develop survival electronics skills for understanding and designing systems. This course will be a friendly introduction to physical computing, creating interactive systems that can sense (take inputs) and actuate (create outputs), under local electronic and/or cloud control. Such systems offer an interface between the analog and digital worlds. The theoretical inspiration is the material nature of bits: how do modern, virtual, digital systems - such as the Internet, VR, big data, and AI - require physical devices, places, and patterns of energy? Starting with educational kits and multimeters, and moving to breadboard circuits, Arduino microcontrollers,and Raspberry Pi singleboard computers, students will develop rapid prototyping skills, use electronics as a medium of expression, and develop some insight into the digital divide. No prior knowledge or skill is required.