tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/raspberry-pi-7500/articlesRaspberry Pi – The Conversation2016-03-04T17:57:35Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/515242016-03-04T17:57:35Z2016-03-04T17:57:35ZRaspberry Pi 3 shows it’s possible to pack even more punch into a tiny package<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113866/original/image-20160304-23874-13sogge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Smaller, faster, more.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Raspberry Pi</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Four years after the original Raspberry Pi arrived in February 2012, the new <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b/">Raspberry Pi 3</a> has landed, kitted out with a considerably faster, 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex 1.2GHz processor and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support built in. It’s this networking support, more than the faster processor, that will make it easier to put the diminutive device to more practical use through being able to communicate with other devices.</p>
<p>This may make the Pi the hardware platform of choice for many <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/internet-of-things">Internet of Things</a> (IoT) projects. IoT will change our approach to electrical appliances at home and work by refashioning them so that they can communicate with each other automatically. </p>
<p>For example, a wearable blood pressure monitor will talk to the room thermostat and radiator valve, and perhaps even contact the local GP surgery for advice. For this to work, each and every device must be equipped with network connectivity and the computing power required to run sensors and process the data. The latest Pi has brought that to market.</p>
<h2>Power, connectivity, convenience</h2>
<p>While a small single board computer will always be limited, the Pi has provided the means to expand this by providing general purpose input/output (GPIO) pins with which to attach daughter cards. For example the <a href="http://razberry.z-wave.me/">RaZberry</a> adds <a href="http://z-wavealliance.org/">Z-Wave</a>, a wireless communication technology for smart home devices, to a Raspberry Pi. Combining easy connectivity in a tiny package that can be easily programmed, Pi could be put to many uses.</p>
<p>The credit card-sized Raspberry Pi 3 at US$35 or £30 is the same price as previous generations, while the even more tiny <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/pi-zero/">Raspberry Pi Zero</a> packs a powerful 1Ghz single-core CPU and 512Mb RAM into a package measuring just 65mm × 30mm, priced at an astonishing US$5 or £4. The trade-off of power for smaller size means that the Pi Zero can be put to other unusual uses, even wearable ones.</p>
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<h2>Teaching pi</h2>
<p>The Raspberry Pi was always intended to provide the means to teach and promote basic computer science skills in schools. Driving down costs will certainly help and the trend in <a href="https://theconversation.com/miniaturisation-will-lead-to-smart-spaces-and-blur-the-line-between-on-and-offline-40428">miniaturisation of computers</a> will continue. British astronaut Tim Peake is currently using a Pi to <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/tag/tim-peake/">run code supplied by British school pupils</a> on board the International Space Station. </p>
<p>In this respect the Pi has largely achieved its goal of becoming a platform of choice for teaching computer science in schools. It has proven popular among university students too and is used in projects from robot control to <a href="https://www.openhomeautomation.net/category/raspberry-pi/">smart homes</a>. Other uses are as compact parallel processing power: Professor Simon Cox at the University of Southampton <a href="https://theconversation.com/upgraded-raspberry-pi-offers-windows-and-linux-the-best-of-both-worlds-37135/">connected 64 Raspberry Pi boards</a> to create a Pi-powered supercomputer with the capability of performing complex parallel computing tasks.</p>
<h2>Think of a use and build it</h2>
<p>Nearly 8m Raspberry Pis have been sold and are frequently found in electronics and computer laboratories. Just this year the Raspberry Pi has snatched the record of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35690689">the best-selling British computer</a> from the venerable Amstrad PCW computer.</p>
<p>There are rival computer boards, such as <a href="http://beagleboard.org/">BeagleBone Black</a> produced by Texas Instruments, the <a href="https://www.arduino.cc">Arduino/Genuino</a> platform marketed as open source hardware for developers, hobbyists and students interested in programming, and most recently the <a href="https://theconversation.com/bbc-micro-bit-aims-to-turn-children-from-digital-consumers-into-digital-creators-44286">Micro:bit</a> developed by the BBC for use in computer education, with more than 1m Micro:bit boards to be given away to all 11-year-olds starting secondary school across the country.</p>
<p>The miniaturisation of computers and the falling cost of manufacture will help to achieve the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en">digital agenda</a> for Europe and the rest of the word. Providing computing and internet access to all developing countries will help their economy to flourish and let everyone enjoy the benefit of the digital world.</p>
<p>The Raspberry Pi has the processing power and capability of achieving much more than just <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Blinking-LED-with-Raspberry-Pi-1/">turning a light on and off</a>. Even as each generation offers more power and capability, we haven’t yet realised their full potential – and there are many still unboxed Pis waiting to be put to use.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ahmad Lotfi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the addition of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth the new Raspberry Pi is even easier to put to good use.Ahmad Lotfi, Professor of Computational Intelligence, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/404282015-06-26T14:48:01Z2015-06-26T14:48:01ZMiniaturisation will lead to ‘smart spaces’ and blur the line between on and offline<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86520/original/image-20150626-1438-rkwu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A computer-on-a-stick is the start, but they'll get smaller and smarter yet.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lenovo</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lenovo, the Chinese firm that has bought up IBM’s cast off PC business, has announced a miniaturised computer not much larger than a smartphone, which can be connected to any screen via an HDMI connection. </p>
<p>Advances in electronic components manufacturing processes and integration have resulted in large-scale miniaturisation of computer systems. This has enabled the latest <a href="http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?code=TM_RD_PKG_SIP">system-in-package</a> and <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/system-on-a-chip-what-you-need-to-know-about-socs-1147235">system-on-a-chip</a> approaches, where the processor and other necessary functionality usually provided by many microchips can be incorporated into a single silicon chip package.</p>
<p>Lenovo’s <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/24/lenovo-announces-a-130-windows-pc-in-a-stick/?ncid=rss">Ideacenter Stick 300</a> runs Windows 8 or Linux, is powered by a micro-USB connector and comes fitted with a new Intel Bay Trail CPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB flash storage, an SD card reader, Wi-Fi – even speakers.</p>
<p>Lenovo isn’t the first to shrink the PC down to pocket size. Intel’s <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/intels-compute-stick-a-full-pc-thats-tiny-in-size-and-performance/">Compute Stick</a> is another dongle-sized computer with similar specs released this year.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86523/original/image-20150626-1386-x5sqtw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Intel’s Compute Stick is another effort to shrink the PC to pocket size.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Intel</span></span>
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<p>The Raspberry Pi, <a href="https://theconversation.com/upgraded-raspberry-pi-offers-windows-and-linux-the-best-of-both-worlds-37135">now upgraded</a> to its second major release, was probably the first to provide the functionality of a desktop or laptop computer in a credit card sized electronic board. Over five million Raspberry Pi computers have been sold since launch in 2012.</p>
<p>Google has used its stripped-down Chrome OS based on its Chrome browser to reduce a Chromebook (Chrome OS-powered laptop) down to the <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-unveils-chrome-stick-turns-display-pc/">Chromebit</a>. While the Chromebit is no larger than a USB memory stick, it’s markedly less powerful than Intel’s offering, as it is powered by the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/cortex-a17-chips-allow-arm-chromebooks-to-limbo-down-to-149/">Rockchip RK3288</a>, an ARM processor, which makes it comparable in power to a smartphone.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86525/original/image-20150626-1402-yd8wma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Google’s Chromebit, in more colours than black.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katie Roberts-Hoffman/Google</span></span>
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<p>There are other stick-sized, computers running low-power ARM processors capable of running Android, such as <a href="http://www.fxitech.com/cotton-candy/what-is-it/">Cotton Candy</a> or <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gadgets/portable-video/chromecast-1171126/review">Google Chromecast</a>. These plug into a digital television to play video directly to the TV or from internet streaming services such as Netflix – but not much else.</p>
<h2>The appeal of small</h2>
<p>Computers this small are attractive for many organisations, such as schools and universities who need to equip functional computer laboratories at minimum cost while taking up as little space as possible. Low power devices also consumer less power which keeps costs down. </p>
<p>A typical desktop computer uses about 65-250 watts (plus 20-40 watts for an LCD monitor) – considerably higher than a typical PC-on-a-stick at about 10 watts. There are obvious business uses, such as digital signage and advertising when connected to screens or projectors. </p>
<p>This new round of computer miniaturisation marks a third wave of computerisation. First there were room-sized computers, shared between many users – the mainframe era. These time-sharing systems gradually disappeared as computers were miniaturised, replaced by the one computer per user of the personal computer or PC era. Today one person could have many computers, whether recognisable as desktop and latop PCs or smartphones or compute sticks, but which are accessible everywhere and anywhere. Known as <a href="http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html">ubiquitous or pervasive computing</a>, this is the third wave in computing.</p>
<h2>A smart, mobile future</h2>
<p>As all computing devices grow smaller, the aim is that they are more connected and more integrated into our environment. The computing technology fades into our surroundings until only the user interface remains perceptible to users. It is an emerging discipline that brings computing to our living environments, makes those environments sensitive to us and have them adapt to the user’s needs. By enriching an environment with appropriate interconnected computing devices, the environment would be able to sense changes and support decisions that benefit its users.</p>
<p>There is a growing interest in these <a href="http://www.computer.org/web/computingnow/pervasivecomputing">smart spaces</a> using miniaturised computing technologies to support our daily lives more effectively. For example, smart offices, classrooms, and homes that allow computers to monitor and control what is happening in the environment.</p>
<p>Apple’s <a href="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/129922-apple-homekit-explained-how-does-it-work-and-what-products-are-homekit-ready">HomeKit</a> and Google’s <a href="https://nest.com/uk/">Nest</a> are a start in this direction, providing the hardware and software to allow home automation. A smart home that monitors temperature and movement could allow elderly to remain self-sufficient and independent in their own home, for example, and voice activated devices could help everyday tasks such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/amazon-dash-is-a-first-step-towards-an-internet-of-things-that-is-actually-useful-39711">ordering the shopping</a>. A smart office could remind staff of information such as meeting reminders. It could turn the lights on and off, or control heating and cooling efficiently. A smart hospital ward will monitor patients and warn doctors and nurses of any potential problem or human errors. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/smart-anything-everywhere">Smart Anything Everywhere</a> vision of the European Commission drives research and development in this area. The evolution and disruptive innovation across the field of computing, from the Internet of Things, smart cities and smart spaces down to nano-electronics – the applications and benefits of greater miniaturisation of computers are endless.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ahmad Lotfi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Smaller computer are coming to your pocket, and then your homes, your workplaces, and everywhere else.Ahmad Lotfi, Reader in Computational Intelligence, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/371352015-02-06T12:35:19Z2015-02-06T12:35:19ZUpgraded Raspberry Pi offers Windows and Linux – the best of both worlds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71300/original/image-20150206-28612-ay0rj2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Raspberry Pi 2, a bundle of fruity goodness.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Raspberry Pi</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Raspberry Pi has been a great success, selling millions since launch in 2012 and igniting hobbyists’ imagination everywhere. The Pi is a tiny computer at a tiny price, but now the arrival of a seriously upgraded Raspberry Pi 2 has brought the performance that the first lacked, in a package the same size at the same cost of <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/raspberry-pi-2-on-sale/">US$35</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/small-form-factor/1000353/raspberry-pi-2-vs-raspberry-pi-b-a-raspberry-pi-comparison">Raspberry Pi 2 Model B</a>, to give its full name, bumps the memory (RAM) from 512Mb to 1Gb, and introduces a <a href="http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-a/cortex-a15.php">900mhz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor</a>. The new board also requires less power and is pin-compatible with previous boards so it will be backwards-compatible with existing projects.</p>
<p>Simon’s son, James, has been a bit click-happy when programs are loading. A little more horsepower and memory might avoid seeing multiple copies of programs load up as an impatient eight-year-old wonders: “Did I click it? Let me just click again.”</p>
<p>We built a <a href="http://www.southampton.ac.uk/%7Esjc/raspberrypi/">64-node Raspberry Pi cluster</a> at Southampton in 2012, and it made a great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq5nrHz9I94">demonstrator</a>, but the low processor performance really limited the possibilities.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71113/original/image-20150204-28615-5y73kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Raspberry Pi Supercomputer using original Model B and Lego.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Cox</span></span>
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<p>A quad-core Pi cluster will not only perform better (an estimated six times better, according to the Pi team) but also provide performance closer to real world high-performance computing systems, which have all moved to multi-core processors. It will allow us to show simple examples from some of the real simulation code we use in science and engineering, which struggle to even run on the previous Pi model.</p>
<p>We hope this will further help to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers about how we use computers to understand the world around us, and how we develop code for much larger high-performance computers – and all at a much lower cost than the millions of pounds required for large supercomputers.</p>
<h2>Windows in a tiny footprint</h2>
<p>For us, the biggest opportunity is that Microsoft has confirmed it will deliver a version of its Windows 10 operating system that runs on the Raspberry Pi 2 – free of charge for hobbyists through the <a href="https://www.windowsondevices.com">Windows Developer Program</a>.</p>
<p>This makes it a truly versatile piece of hardware that provides the best of both worlds: a Linux and Windows-compatible device with a tiny footprint which is ready for use with <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/internet-of-things">internet of things</a>-related projects, equipped as it is with hardware pins to attach it to external devices and sensors (which are also supported by Windows 10).</p>
<p>With Windows come all the development tools such as <a href="http://www.visualstudio.com/">Visual Studio</a>, libraries and languages such as C# to add to the many tools that can already run on the Pi such as <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> and <a href="https://www.python.org/">Python</a>.</p>
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<h2>Sweetness in the cloud</h2>
<p>We’re also excited by the possibility Windows 10 brings of connecting Raspberry Pi devices to <a href="http://www.gcflearnfree.org/what-is-the-cloud">the cloud</a>, and the Windows development tools should make this much more straightforward. Most of us are familiar with using the cloud for email, storing pictures, and social media. But for our research work in science and engineering the cloud gives us access to huge, shared computing power and data storage, with which we can simulate the complex ways in which tiny molecules interact, or astrophysical calculations on how the universe works.</p>
<p>We can also use the cloud to analyse data collected from thousands of sensors on Raspberry Pi-based internet of things devices. For example, these might be sensors in a rainforest to enable us to understand and make better decisions about the effect of human behaviour on the environment. Across a transport network ubiquitous sensors might also help ease traffic flow through our ever increasingly congested cities and motorways.</p>
<h2>Community, community, community</h2>
<p>While there are other similar devices out there such as the <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino</a>, <a href="http://beagleboard.org/bone">BeagleBoard</a>, <a href="http://www.hardkernel.com/main/main.php">Odroid</a> and many others, for us the community that has developed around Raspberry Pi is absolutely key to its success. The community is huge, friendly, and everyone is keen to share their experiences and help out.</p>
<p>If the predictions of <a href="http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2636073">26 billion internet of things devices by 2020</a> are to be realised it will require the sort of easy-to-program hardware and supportive community of developers that has been catalysed by Pi. And with the addition of Windows support, that community looks set to grow to include many more.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37135/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prof Simon J Cox works for the University of Southampton and is Director of the Microsoft Institute for HPC (at University of Southampton). He receives funding from UK Government Research bodies and Industrial companies including Microsoft.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Johnston works for the University of Southampton and he receives funding from UK Government Research bodies and Industrial companies, including Microsoft.
</span></em></p>The Raspberry Pi has been a great success, selling millions since launch in 2012 and igniting hobbyists’ imagination everywhere. The Pi is a tiny computer at a tiny price, but now the arrival of a seriously…Simon J Cox, Professor of Computational Methods, Director, Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing, Associate Dean, University of SouthamptonSteven Johnston, Senior Research Fellow for the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment , University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/197402013-11-27T14:33:00Z2013-11-27T14:33:00ZFive ways the Raspberry Pi is making life a little sweeter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36181/original/cgdpbhv7-1385472103.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's not all about building multi-coloured-ball guns. But you might as well.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stratageme.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Raspberry Pi project began when a few of us in Cambridge bemoaned the fall in numbers of computer science applicants and the decline in hobbyist programmers.</p>
<p>Five years on, much has changed. Applications for computer science at Cambridge are at an all-time high. The computing curriculum for UK schools has been rewritten to help provide children with an appreciation of the powerful and general-purpose tools that computer science can provide. After-school computing clubs are flourishing and often oversubscribed. The maker community is growing in the UK.</p>
<p>The Raspberry Pi charity has now produced 2 million low-cost, credit-card-sized computers. Raspberry Pis can be plugged into your keyboard and TV and turned into almost anything. A vast community of users has grown out of the project, each using their Raspberry Pi to produce something completely new. Here are five of my favourite projects that have been produced by that community so far.</p>
<h2>Teaching kids to code by accident</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/projects/raspberrypi/sonicpi/">Sonic Pi project</a> looks like a project to get kids making their own synthesisers but is in fact also a way to teach them the fundamentals of programming by stealth. It’s a scheme that could either inspire the next Tim Berners-Lee or the next DeadMau5, or maybe even both.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">a piece of music composed by year 8 students using a Raspberry Pi.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Building stuff brick by brick</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.dexterindustries.com/BrickPi/">BrickPi</a> started out as a <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/john-cole/brickpi-lego-bricks-with-a-raspberry-pi-brain">Kickstarter project</a> and eventually attracted close to US$130,000 from more than 1,000 backers. It’s a system that allows you to turn your Raspberry Pi into a robot by attaching Lego parts and motors and the results are pretty impressive. The site offers tutorials on how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a weather station that tweets the temperature, a ball shooter and a robotic arm.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/34251/original/vp527s4h-1383315544.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">BrickPi becomes a robotic arm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stratageme com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Helping to save the Rhino</h2>
<p>Raspberry Pis are <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2013/09/06/raspberry-pi-helping-to-save-the-rhino/">playing a part</a> in the fight against the illegal hunting of endangered rhino in some of the remotest parts of Africa.</p>
<p>A project led by the Zoological Society of London has been using the computers to control satellite-connected cameras taking pictures of rhino movements and poaching activity.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5gqjElM9yEo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">ZSL conservation project.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building your own microscope</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://openlabtools.eng.cam.ac.uk/Instruments/Microscope/">open source microscope</a> is part of a wider project to develop quality scientific instruments in an open access environment on a budget.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hvATzguxkwo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">SciDev.net.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>OpenLabTools says that where a conventional microscope costs between US$15,000 and US$80,000 this version, run using a Raspberry Pi, can be built for US$800. The idea is for the instructions to be posted online so that research labs around the world can build their own low-cost instruments. </p>
<h2>Medicating safely</h2>
<p>A competition ran last year to get school children using their Raspberry Pis. One of my favourites was a project entered by Dalriada School in Northern Ireland. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36192/original/7v9m3bnt-1385480610.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Dalriada school pill dispensing machine.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Having clocked that it can be difficult for patients to keep track of their medication, the Dalriada pupils developed a pill dispenser that uses the Raspberry Pi to receive information from doctors. A GP can control the dispenser via the web, programming it to drop out pills at the right time, so the patient can stay on top of their treatment.</p>
<p>Grassroots movements and government action will, I hope, help bring about a step change in the way people perceive computer science and use computers. The stakes could not be higher in my opinion.</p>
<p>The next two decades will see computers and robots capable of outperforming humans on an ever greater range of tasks. These changes will go far beyond office productivity gains or advances in communication technologies and will spill over into the future jobs market and sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, transport and education. They will also be central in helping us to monitor and protect the physical world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/19740/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Mullins is co-founder and trustee of the RP Foundation. He also
receives funding to support student RP activities in the Computer
Laboratory.</span></em></p>The Raspberry Pi project began when a few of us in Cambridge bemoaned the fall in numbers of computer science applicants and the decline in hobbyist programmers. Five years on, much has changed. Applications…Robert Mullins, Senior Lecturer, Co-Founder and Trustee, Raspberry Pi Foundation, University of CambridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204442013-11-21T23:32:02Z2013-11-21T23:32:02ZMakers bridge the gap between science and art<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/35725/original/sf26rsyw-1384989653.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A home-made hexapod robot on display at a Mini Maker Faire at Somerville in the US. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Devers</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One evening when I was young, my father confiscated my radio because he said I was playing it too loud (I wasn’t).</p>
<p>Fortunately, I had a bunch of broken down receivers in my room, so I built a new one. In hindsight, this was probably the start of my career as a Maker.</p>
<p>Makers see a need but rather than asking somebody else to address it, they take matters into their own hands and fix things themselves.</p>
<h2>Rise of the Makers</h2>
<p>The Maker movement has recently gained a lot of momentum, with <a href="http://makerfaire.com/">Maker Faires</a> – where these home tinkerers meet at gatherings billed as “the greatest show and tell on Earth” – popping up around the world.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Just about sums it up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Beale</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now Sydney is hosting its first <a href="http://makerfairesydney.com/">Mini Maker Faire</a> this Sunday at the Powerhouse Museum. </p>
<p>Yet, in many aspects, Makers have been around for a while, from <a href="http://www.wia.org.au/discover/introduction/about/">amateur radio operators</a> adjusting their rig to allow clearer communication with remote contacts to software hackers <a href="http://oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/ch01.html">reprogramming their printer</a> so it works the way they want it to.</p>
<p>Even the casual DIY-er who builds a vertical garden <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/flickr-finds-ar-1-24327">out of found materials</a> is a Maker.</p>
<p>As it turns out, seeing a problem and fixing it yourself (rather than buying a new radio, printer or a bigger house) is often not that hard and quite rewarding. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35727/original/ctmv9zsc-1384990309.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Making is fun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Beale</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A recent study found that <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/02/06/171177695/why-you-love-that-ikea-table-even-if-its-crooked">people value IKEA furniture more if they built it themselves</a>. Imagine the satisfaction one could get from such furniture without the pre-cut boards or instructions.</p>
<h2>New tech makes it easier to Make</h2>
<p>What recently united these tinkerers, technology enthusiasts and other life hackers under the same name is <a href="http://makezine.com/">Make</a>, a magazine published since 2005 that reports on the movement and showcases Maker projects.</p>
<p>However, perhaps the real reason we see more Makers these days is the increasing availability of cheap and easily hacked technology.</p>
<p>The advent of the <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">various models of Arduino boards</a> (a single-board microcontroller used in electronics) or the single board computer <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/">Raspberry Pi</a> tremendously lowered the barrier to entry to tinkering with electronics. <a href="http://forum.arduino.cc/">Communities</a> quickly <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/">formed</a> around these new technologies.</p>
<p>One no longer needs a degree in computer science to work out how to make computers do interesting things.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Makers see a problem and want to fix it themselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Beale</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3d_printer">3D printers</a> also have a large part to play in the shift from user to Maker.</p>
<p>These devices transform reels of plastic filament (or metal wire) into physical items: structural elements, cogs, or silly-looking creatures.</p>
<p>The cost of producing prototypes and parts is greatly reduced, and design by trial-and-error is much more affordable.</p>
<p>Granted, these printers are not cheap yet (they can range from A$500 to A$10,000 and beyond), but many Makers get together to share the costs. There also are some <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Category:RepStrap">makeshift printers, cobbled from cheap elements</a>, which can print only one thing: <a href="http://reprap.org/">another, fully functional, 3D printer</a>.</p>
<h2>Is it art?</h2>
<p>Not all makers are driven by a prosaic problem they need to solve. Artists are also embracing these new technologies and the possibilities they represent.</p>
<p>Added to the usual toolbox, these new media allow artists to extend their visions beyond traditional art forms, and create <a href="http://vimeo.com/44645036">works</a> that audiences can respond to and interact with directly.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YdstMcTGijE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Maybe this is leading the way towards realising Australian comedian Tim Minchin’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc#t=440">vision</a> of a closer relationship between art and science.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pudo7DcZkJ8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Arduino and Raspberry Pi-based sculpture simulating a brain that senses and reacts to people using the space.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Learning through making</h2>
<p>All things considered, though, I think the most important aspect of the maker movement is its potential to be used for education.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/35726/original/3d2jmnbj-1384990156.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Hammer Time Button.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Olivier Mehani</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When I built my backup radio, I learnt some electronics. When I started brewing beer, I understood how yeast breaks maltose into ethanol and carbon dioxide.</p>
<p>For the Sydney Mini Maker Faire, I built the <a href="http://makerfairesydney.com/2013/11/15/meet-the-maker-hammer-time-button/">Hammer Time Button</a>, an alluring red button that, when pressed, prompts the MC Hammer classic <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo">U Can’t Touch This</a> to be blasted through speakers. You know that you can’t touch this button, but you just can’t help it.</p>
<p>Through this project, I reacquainted myself with <a href="http://www.narf.ssji.net/%7Eshtrom/wiki/projets/hammerbutton">computer interfaces</a>.</p>
<p>Now that I am getting into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio">ham radio</a>, I’ll finally get a chance to understand radio antennas. Whenever I need help, I know I can rely on the Maker communities around the Internet for information and advice, but most importantly, I’m having fun while learning.</p>
<p>Making represents a great opportunity to teach technology – not only how to use it, but also how it works – to the next generation of adults.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kids learn to solder at a Mini Maker Faire in Albuquerque in the US.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Makers know how to bend the world to their needs, and don’t let objects dictate their use to us. In a world increasingly reliant on technology, it is important to be able to lift the cover of everyday black boxes, and make devices behave the way we want them to (not the other way around).</p>
<p>The Maker communities offer a great way to learn how to do just that and may help shape the next generation of scientists, engineers and artists.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20444/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Olivier Mehani does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One evening when I was young, my father confiscated my radio because he said I was playing it too loud (I wasn’t). Fortunately, I had a bunch of broken down receivers in my room, so I built a new one…Olivier Mehani, Researcher, Data61Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188132013-10-10T23:21:21Z2013-10-10T23:21:21ZIs the Raspberry Pi an innovation in computer training, or just another toy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32837/original/hvhxgsvk-1381442552.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Despite their educational appeal, the majority of Pis sold have been bought by middle-aged hobbyists</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Yan Arief via Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This week the Raspberry Pi Foundation <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/5016">announced</a> that they had manufactured 1 million Raspberry Pi computers in the UK. In an age when the very thought of manufacturing anything outside of China would be considered foolhardy, the supply of these low cost computing devices from a factory in South Wales showed that it is still possible to manufacture technology in a developed western nation, albeit a fairly basic no-frills device.</p>
<p>The Raspberry Pi Foundation was <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/about">established</a> by a group of academics at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory who were concerned with the general decline in numbers of students applying to computer science. They felt that they could tackle this by providing a means for teachers at primary and secondary school to introduce programming and computing skills training. As such the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi">Raspberry Pi</a> was developed as a very cheap and expandable computing device that could plug into a TV. </p>
<p>The Raspberry Pi is runs a version of the Linux operating system which provides support for developer tools and other software. Children in particular were to interact with a development environment called <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> which was designed by the MIT Media Lab as a creative environment that would allow children in particular to learn basic programming skills. In early 2013, Google got <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/3158">behind</a> this idea and funded the supply of 15,000 Pis to schools in the UK.</p>
<p>Despite the educational ideal, the majority of the 1.75 million Pis sold have gone to middle-aged hobbyists who have put the devices to a plethora of uses. These range from <a href="http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=Raspberry_Pi">media players</a> to a <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/ted-bull-stratos-raspberry-pi-controlled-teddy-bear-babbage-beats-felix-baumgartners-skydiving-record-8785687.html">re-enactment</a> of Felix Baumgarten’s skydiving world record using a Raspberry Pi equiped teddy bear called Babbage who made a leap from 39,000 meters, transmitting data and video along the way.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I41ooQQ_RIw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Babbage makes a leap.</span></figcaption>
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<p>This is not the first time someone has tried to create a low cost computer to try to improve computing literacy. In the early 1980’s the BBC teamed with the Acorn Computer company to create a personal computer called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro">BBC Micro</a>. Although popular with schools in the UK (80% of schools owned one), they were still relatively expensive at the time and their integration into the curriculum was limited by cost and more importantly by lack of skills required to teach using them. Eventually the Acorn computers were eclipsed by PCs running Microsoft’s DOS and Windows but the development gave rise to the ARM processors that power most smartphones today.</p>
<p>Although on the surface, the encouragement of computer science skills in school children may be seen as a laudable goal, one would have to ask whether these efforts are likely to succeed. More importantly, is the declining number of students taking courses in computer science simply an indicator that subject’s time has passed? </p>
<p>This question has been the source of much <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040609-hot-tech-skills.html">debate</a> in the IT industry, with people arguing that skills required for successful developers are not the highly technical and theoretical ones that come from a degree in computer science but those of problem solving, collaboration and communication. </p>
<p>Another problem with any sort of degree is that the technologies used by industry change so rapidly that anything taught at university has a very short shelf-life, making continuous self-training necessary in any case. </p>
<p>Others would argue that programming is a craft which requires little in the way of more formal training. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg were both self-taught programmers who saw little value in completing their degrees.</p>
<p>In any event, it is unlikely that the Raspberry Pi will replace the home PC or tablets that are rapidly becoming their mobile replacement. The Pi will always struggle to match the simplicity and richness of a PC, iPad or Android tablet’s interface and access to millions of apps. Teachers are only now coming to grips with the ubiquity of laptops and tablets in the class and are unlikely to invest even more time on learning a new environment and technology.</p>
<p>While the manufacture of a million Raspberry Pis in the UK is an achievement worth marking, it is unlikely to make the Chinese technology manufacturers feel threatened in any way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Glance does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This week the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced that they had manufactured 1 million Raspberry Pi computers in the UK. In an age when the very thought of manufacturing anything outside of China would be…David Glance, Director, Centre for Software Practice, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.