In a recent episode of the Augmented Ops podcast, host Natan Linder sat down with Fabio Violante, CEO of Arduino, to discuss how the pioneering open-source hardware company is making inroads into the world of industrial automation.
For those unfamiliar, Arduino has been a driving force in making embedded computing accessible to hobbyists, educators, and professionals alike. As Violante explained,
The unbelievable advantage of Arduino was that they made these accessible, not only open source but even possible for many people that had zero skills in electrical engineering or software engineering to take over technology and solve real problems from feeding their cat to powering a plant.
With millions of original devices sold and an even larger ecosystem of clones and counterfeits, Arduino has struck a chord. But what’s perhaps most surprising is the growing adoption of Arduino in enterprise and industrial settings. From automotive cockpits to factory testing equipment, companies are leveraging Arduino’s simplicity and flexibility for both rapid prototyping and production use cases.
To better serve these customers, Arduino has introduced its Pro line, which offers a path from idea to production with more advanced microcontrollers and features. Violante highlighted the company’s micro PLC products as an example: “Basically, an Arduino programmable logical controller that is really certified. So it’s UL certified, you can just hook it up into an electrical panel and add the flexibility and programmability of Arduino to enterprise an industrial process.”
This combination of the traditional PLC paradigm with Arduino’s open-source approach is a game-changer. As Violante put it, “You can do the open way of doing stuff with C, C++ and micro python in the future…And you can also use the traditional languages for PLCs because there is a ton of legacy code.”
The interview also touched on the phenomenon of “factory hacking,” where operations teams are solving problems with custom Arduino-based solutions. While these DIY approaches can face challenges with scaling and integration, Arduino’s Pro line is directly addressing the need for maintainable, industrial-grade options.
Looking ahead, Violante hinted at upcoming innovations in Arduino’s core platform and operating system that could further revolutionize the industrial automation landscape. “It’s like more or less what you saw when you saw the first Arduino. It’s going to be the next big [thing],” he teased.
As the lines between PLCs, APCs, and open source continue to blur, it’s clear that Arduino is well-positioned to usher in a new era of accessible, transparent industrial automation. Violante ended with a call to action for all the “factory hackers” out there: “Let us know what you want. Both Fabio and I are listening. We want to know what to build and we want to know how to support these communities to build the right thing.”
With innovators like Arduino leading the charge, the future of manufacturing looks more open and collaborative than ever before. As industry professionals, it’s on us to embrace this shift and help shape the tools and platforms that will define the factories of tomorrow.
