Create with Arduino: Innovative projects

Within the framework of the dissemination actions of the Open Minds project, a multiplier event was held in Barcelona, within the MakerConvent space, under the title “Creating with Arduino: Innovative projects.”. This meeting brought together 15 participants, from the local community of creative electronics, technological education, digital mediation and the associative sector.

The event was dedicated to exploring the uses of free software and open source material, including the Arduino platform, in the development of innovative, accessible and collaborative projects. The public, made up of passionate people with varied profiles (trainers, artists, students, self-taught), has been able to share their practices, discover new tools and strengthen their links with a local network committed to open digital culture.

After a presentation of the European Open Minds project, with its training products, resources and database, the participants presented their own projects through a short and interactive format. Among the projects presented were handcrafted home automation systems, interactive artistic installations, educational robots and prototypes made in a school context. All these projects had in common the use of free software solutions (such as Arduino IDE, KiCad or FreeCAD) and open source hardware platforms, demonstrating their relevance for inclusive and costly pedagogical approaches.

The strong moment of the night was the live demonstration of a plotter of drawing, made by José Salatino, facilitator and expert in digital manufacturing. This device, designed with Arduino and easily accessible components, has aroused great interest and numerous technical and pedagogical questions.

The meeting ended with a guided tour of the MakerConvent space, a digital manufacturing laboratory open to the public, where participants were able to discover other machines and projects developed locally.
This event has allowed not only to promote the objectives and resources of Open Minds, but also to value the specific uses of free software in creation practices, reinforcing the spirit of community, the exchange of technical knowledge and the adoption of ethical and accessible technologies.

Create with Arduino: Innovative projects
Place: MakerConvent – Barcelona
Date: 21/5 Arduino Day 2025