Microsoft intros Arduino-like .NET Gadgeteer platform
updated 11:40 pm EDT, Wed August 3, 2011
System uses modular hardware, .NET framework
Microsoft has quietly introduced an open-source platform, .NET Gadgeteer, that appears to mimic Arduino. The toolkit enables users to build small electronic devices and prototypes using modular hardware, with coding via the .NET framework and Visual Studio or Visual C# Express.
Like Arduino, the Gadgeteer system takes advantage of a wide range of potential components connected to a main board. One of the boards, known as FEZ Spider, can be purchased as a kit that includes a 3.5-inch touchscreen, USB module, camera, joystick controller, LED lights, buttons, and ports for SD cards and Ethernet cables.
The system is demonstrated as a miniature arcade cabinet filled with Gadgeteer hardware and running a snake game programmed in C#. The Microsoft Research team also shows off a similar setup that utilizes a camera to capture individual pictures for stop-motion animation.
The introduction of a Microsoft-branded modular platform arrives on the heels of similar Arduino-based introductions for iOS and Android. The Android variant is tied into Google's own Accessory Development Kit (ADK).
The FEZ Spider starter kit is currently available for $250. Microsoft promises to post instructions to help users build the arcade cabinet and stop-motion recorder.
