- [Announcer] Digi-Key is on a mission
to make technology accessible to everyone.
To bridge the gap between hardware and software.
Democratize the world of electronics.
And inspire the next generation of STEM programs.
In this three part series brought to you by Supply Frame,
Digi-Key, and Microchip technology,
we follow the path of students, educators,
entrepreneurs, start-ups and the makers of tomorrow.
In this episode, we take a look at the impact
Arduino has had on the maker movement.
We took a trip to the final bait area Maker Faire,
to see some familiar faces and to catch a glimpse
at what the future holds for makers.
To understand how Arduino has achieved such success
with makers we went straight to the source.
Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi.
- Yeah, so one of the ways that we're trying
to describe a little bit what we do is that we try
to make complex technology simpler,
so that anybody can really innovate.
So it even changed the life of a number of people
because they were able to turn their ideas into real
projects, people are being able to actually
solve real problems.
I think one of the very interesting things
is not to be overlooked is the fact that a lot of people
like to use Digi-Key,
because if they have an idea they just click
on a button and they instantly get it very, very fast.
They can get almost anything very quickly.
So it's important when you have an idea to be able
to apply it very quickly.
- [Announcer] Bob Martin of Microchip explains
how engineers benefit from using Arduino
as a prototyping tool.
- Maybe the misconception of the Arduino,
it's not for the professional environment.
And being at Microchip,
I'm putting a lot of effort into showing that
actually it can be and we can import it
and do debugging with it and whatever.
And just the ability to speed and prototype
brings that, I think a lot of value into
that professional realm.
(upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Next, we stopped to chat with Omkar,
a young maker that inspired us with his
Arduino part project, the O Watch.
- Yeah, so my project is a programmable smartwatch kit,
to teach kids how to code.
And it's using Arduino Zero in it.
And it's basically Arduino Zero with an O Led display on it.
So when I was six I started to learn how to program
using Arduino and I got interested
and I wanted to create a kit for it.
And at the time, smartwatches were the new latest thing.
So it made sense to make a smartwatch.
It's just about getting started and going through
that process of learning how to program Arduino.
And creating whatever interests you.
We asked Digi-Key's, David Sandys,
what he thinks about the current state
of the maker movement?
- What's beautiful about the maker movement
is the sheer number, the volume of people
who are out there that are creating open source platforms,
areas that you can leverage in this space.
And at the end of the day if you're thinking about
doing something someone has probably started you off.
You can find things out there that are gonna get
you on that road to success.
And that's one thing that you have with the maker community.
It's gonna become easier and easier for them
to go ahead and create new technology.
And bring that technology forward.
And that really is the lifeblood of innovation.
- [Announcer] Finally, Shawn Hymel, gave us some insight
into his vision for the maker movement going forward.
And the things we can expect to see along the way.
- Thanks of much of the stuff that you see at Maker Faire
like Arduino, somebody can create an add-on
for their tractor in their basement in a few hours
and over the course of a few months,
have a product out.
Because manufacturing is cheap and easy.
That barrier to entry is so low,
I think we're gonna start seeing more and more
makes and companies come out of what is traditionally
an art, one project.
We're gonna see more people try to figure out ways
to market and sell their own creations.
So making is going to kind of merge with the startup
community and we're gonna not see concentrated in one area
like the Bay Area.
It's gonna be across the US.
The gig economy, working remotely, all of these things
are gonna make it easier for anybody to make
a startup company in their basement
using these easy to access tools that have come out
of the maker movement.
- [Announcer] Digi-Key provides instant access
to products like Arduino,
that fuel innovation and STEM education,
startups and creators around the world.
Access to affordable micro controllables
like those carried at Digi-Key,
has set them apart in the world
of modern electronics development.
(upbeat music)