New Wearable Technology: Banzi of Arduino and Intel launched a new card for schools. “At the start of the production in Italy Genuine”

Friday, October 16, 2015

Banzi of Arduino and Intel launched a new card for schools. “At the start of the production in Italy Genuine” – Il Sole 24 Ore

History Article

This article was published on Oct. 16, 2015 at 24:02.
The last change is the October 16, 2015 at 13:46.

A new board built with Intel to bring Arduino in schools and the start of production in Italy Genuine modules. Massimo Banzi takes two ads at Maker Faire after exhausting months, constantly traveling between the United States, Switzerland, Italy and China to advance its Arduino. “I’m tired – he admits – but we set the stage to return already with the beginning of 2016 the production volume of cards that we had until a few months ago.” In between, a dispute over ownership of the mark on the Arduino which will rule the Italian and American courtrooms where the trial is underway. (At this link the previous installments).

Today Banzi want to talk about anything else. The present and the near future of the card that has revolutionized the world of prototyping of various objects, making anyone ((almost) a potential digital craftsman, or maker, as it is called overseas.

The first step is the renewed partnership with Intel: the first time, in 2013, it was born the card Galileo, Edison last year; this time Genuine 101 (Arduino 101 for the US market), a card that can make every pupil a maker. Inside it features the new, tiny chip low energy Curie, born to the world and wearable by Intel at CES in Las Vegas last January.

The 101 has accelerometer, gyroscope and Bluetooth 4.0. Costa 27 Euros and will be available from early 2016. “It can be controlled by a smartphone and tablet device now ubiquitous in the daily lives of most young people,” says Banzi. The idea is to bring in schools competence technical information that is the same makers of the world: the cards allow you to connect objects, animate them, control them remotely. The project is part of the program Creative Technologies in the Classroom (CTC) Arduino that has already begun in 300 schools in the world. ” Now we can get to many more schools, more countries, building on the contacts and programs of education that has already being a big company like Intel »more Banzi. To date, CTC is dedicated to children aged 13 to 17 years, but will be extended from 11 to 17.

Customers will be training institutions and governments, depending on the laws of the countries. Will sell the hardware and teaching modules: “The professors have codes for access to reserved sites where they offer training and assistance. Schools is useless to have a 3D printer if there is no one who knows the basics of digital fabrication. ” Financial details of the partnership are not known, but the idea is to “go on the market together,” and therefore a sharing of revenues on sales.

In Rome to bless the deal came Josh Walden, senior vice president and division manager of Intel’s new technology. The Arduino board with the chip inside Curie will be used next year in the TV show “America’s Greatest Makers” which will air on TBS, cable provider American part of Time Warner. A sort of Masterchef but where instead of being awarded the best dish will be crowned the best digital artifact.

The card will be marketed as Arduino 101 in the US, where the ownership of the trademark is Banzi and his associates, while in the rest of the world as Genuine 101, since the mark was registered in Italy Arduino and by extension in other countries by the other party in the two ongoing trials, or the Arduino Ltd. Ivrea led by Federico Musto along with co-founder Gianluca Martino. At the time, waiting for a court decision or an agreement between the parties that now seems difficult, there are two Arduino against each other: the Arduino srl sells in Italy Arduino boards made in Ivrea and is owner of the site Arduino .org, while the American Arduino Llc – where members are Banzi and the other co-founders, including paradoxically there is also Musto through Swiss distributor Gheo Sa – is owner of the site Arduino.cc and can use the name on his Arduino cards only in the US, while in other countries using Genuine.

Not having available factories Ivrea, Banzi launched production in the United States with Adafruit and China with Seeed Studios. On 24 May, he announced to Nòva24 the will to bring some production also in Italy, there is now an agreement: the partner is the Axel Electronics Varedo, near Milan. “Italy will be the second production capacity after the United States,” concludes Banzi.

The practice of law, however, is far from over: the Arduino srl would be to file an urgent appeal to try to block the production.