[https://www.arduino.cc/ Arduino] is a wildly popular hobby computing platform.  Arduino refers to three things:
  * A friendly software development environment that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux (get it [https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software here])
  * A suite of single board computers (see [https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Products here]) based on AVR and ARM processors
  * A standard stackable [http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=11473 interface] that lets you plug "shields" into the single-board computers to extend their functionality with things like [http://www.gearbest.com/other-accessories/pp_218079.html motor control], [http://www.gearbest.com/development-boards/pp_136559.html Ethernet], [http://store.cutedigi.com/juniper-wifi-shield-for-arduino-based-on-gainspan-module/ WiFi], etc.

Single board computers like Arduino are perfect for robotics because they are small, rugged, and can easily run on battery power.  We use Arduino computers on Team 2537 mainly because they are very inexpensive (often available for less than $4).  Arduino computers can easily be connected to sensors that provide information about the real world and actuators such as motors and solenoids.  Other popular single-board computers for robotics include the [http://www.sainsmart.com/raspberry-pi-2-model-b-1gb-ram-quad-core-cpu-latest-version-2015-6x-faster.html Rasberry Pi] and [http://www.mbed.com/en/ mBed].  Another popular platform is the STM32 which uses the same Arduino development environment but is far more powerful and is extremely inexpensive.  You can buy STM32  boards for [https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32656048071.html under $2] or the board with a hardware debugger (super-useful) for [https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1609750475.html under $4].  They are available on amazon as well, search for STM32 Blue Pill.

Team 2537 has a set of lessons that introduce you to Arduino through hands-on projects culminating in mini-robots that you design.

* Lesson 1 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson1 Getting to Blinky]
* Lesson 2 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson2 It's Electric]
* Lesson 3 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson3 Touch and Feel]
* Lesson 4 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson4 Making Music]
* Lesson 5 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson5 Ultrasonic]
* Lesson 6 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson6 Move It!]
* Lesson 7 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson7 Control It]
* Lesson 8 - [wiki:ControlSystems/Electrical/Training/Arduino/Lesson8 Smorgasbord]

If you are interested in making your own Arduino kit, you can buy parts [ArduinoKit here]

* The [wiki:ArduinoWemos Wemos D1] is a very inexpensive board you can program with Arduino and use with !WiFi!

NOTE: After much experimentation, Alex and Nathan have found that the best font for the Arduino IDE is Comic Sans MS. This isn't a joke.