Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The microcontroller on the board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). Arduino projects can be stand-alone or they can communicate with software on running on a computer (e.g. Flash, Processing,MaxMSP).
The boards can be built by hand or purchased preassembled; the software can be downloaded for free. The hardware reference designs (CAD files) are available under an open-source license, you are free to adapt them to your needs.
from http://www.arduino.cc/
How is it used?
The Arduino can be connected to the computer via its usb port. It has digital and analog pins. These pins can be used to connect to software running on a computer as well as directly to things such as a variety of sensors. To my understanding the board can be programmed using the Arduino programming language and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing).
In my final year project, i used the Arduino as a touch sensor, whatever information it obtains through the pins (i used bare wire and connected them to the pins, to get readings in capacitance through a script in processing) gets transferred into Processing on the computer and finally onto MaxMSP which produced certain effects. That was how I used the arduino, by connecting it to a computer. However it can also be directly connected to sensors such as, touch sensors, heat sensors, motion sensors, color sensors, light sensors, pressure sensors, magnetic sensors.
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