The Internet of Things (IoT) comprises the billions of physical devices around the world that are connected to the internet, uploading their data and communicating with each other independently of human input.
Arduino produces a range of development boards, from 8-bit microcontrollers to 32-bit microcontrollers, some even with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. This coupled with its beginner-friendly projects available on the web makes Arduino ideal for diving into your first IoT project!
In this article, we’ll take a look at ten impressive IoT projects made by makers in the community.
1. Plant Communicator
Keeping your plants alive can be a challenge as there are many factors involved. This project takes the load off by helping you to monitor the plant’s moisture, light levels, and temperature.
In addition, it also sends you an email with the data as well as graphs so that you can keep an eye out for warning signs. Create your own plant communicator by following the Arduino Project Hub tutorial linked above.
2. Self-Service Cat Feeder
As its name suggests, this project is a pet feeder that enables your cat to pour itself a portion of kitty treats. The maker notes that the device first trains a cat to figure out where to place its nose for the machine to dispense food.
It is created with an Arduino Nano, servo, LEDs, transistor, MOSFET, potentiometer, and resistors. Its enclosure was made with recycled household materials, although there are plenty of designs for 3D printed pet feeder enclosures available online.
3. Smart Garbage Monitoring System
This project is a smart system for monitoring your trash. Specifically, it monitors the level of garbage in a trashcan at a given time. Doing so, this enables optimization of waste collection and subsequently reduces fuel consumption as trash collectors can better schedule their garbage pickups.
The components required for the project include an Arduino 101 and an Arduino WiFi Shield 101. Follow along with the steps linked above to make your own smart garbage monitor.
4. Cocktail Mixing Robot
Want a robot that mixes drinks for you? This robotic bartender does just that! It pours and mixes a cocktail and is based on relatively low-cost parts such as an Arduino Uno and Bluetooth module.
According to the maker, an aim of this project was to keep the costs as low as possible so it is accessible to a heap of people. Furthermore, the entire design runs on just eight AA batteries! Its enclosure can be made with 3D printed parts or wood.
5. Robot Arm From Recycled Materials
Can you make a robot with wood and scrap material? It is possible, as seen in this project, whose maker aimed to reduce waste materials. This robotic arm was created with an Arduino Uno, servos, joystick module, voltage regulator, capacitors, DIY heat shrinks, breadboard, and jumper wires.
Have a go at creating your own robot arm from recycled materials by following along with the instructions linked above.
6. Smartphone-Controlled Electric Skateboard
This is an electric skateboard that is controllable via smartphone and even has three-tiered controllable speed. It also has LED lights connected to the Arduino.
To add a headlight to the skateboard, a 3D printable mount was created and printed which holds four LEDs. Another core part of this build is a proximity sensor, which is responsible for obstacle detection. Finally, the maker notes that a motor library was created for more complex functions.
Build your own smartphone-controlled electrical skateboard by following along the steps outlined in Arduino Project Hub tutorial linked above.
7. Bluetooth-Based Home Automation
It’s a simple home automation system made with an Arduino Uno! A Bluetooth Low Energy module is connected to a relay module and a light bulb, so that it is controllable with a smartphone. The maker notes that additional devices can be added to the system.
How it works: simply hook up the Bluetooth module's four pins, VCC, TX, RX, and GND to the Arduino Uno. The Bluetooth module in this build has a voltage regulator on board, so you can connect it to 5V on the Arduino.
Finally, create a voltage divider network with 10k and 20k resistors before connecting the TX and RX pins to RX and TX on the Arduino respectively. This is because we need to reduce the voltage from 5V to 3.3V.
8. Smart Automated Pill Dispenser
Never forget to take a pill again! This smart automated pill dispenser was created to aid the maker’s personal health as well as to care for elderly people. Along with a display and LED lights, its built-in speaker let users know when it’s time to take their medication. It even dispenses water to help the pills go down.
9. Smart Thermostat
This DIY thermostat connects to a user’s home internet and even communicates via Telegram. Simply send a text message to the smart thermostat to control it; there’s no need for a dashboard or other platform. It was made with an Arduino MKR1000, DHT22 temperature sensor, a simple push-button switch, 10k resistor, and a display.
10. Home Plant Watering System
This plant watering system supports two plants since it has separate independent channels and either can be disabled. Users can control how long to water a plant, do it manually, monitor humidity, sense light levels, as well as disable it at night.
There is also a menu system that lets users tinker with setup configurations which are saved in electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Make your own home plant watering system by following the instructions in the Arduino Project Hub tutorial linked above.
Which IoT Project Will You Build?
In this article, we’ve looked at some impressive IoT projects made with an Arduino. Some of these projects include the use of a single-board computer such as a Raspberry Pi. Others utilize recycled materials and keep things environmentally-friendly. Many of the projects have also kept costs low by using commonly used parts.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the documentation for the Arduino MKR1000, Arduino Uno, and Arduino 101 before diving into these projects!