Interview: Petduino Creator, the Pet You Build Yourself

Matt Brailsford, known as Circuitbeard, is the creator of Petduino, an Arduino-based electronic pet kit that users can assemble and program themselves, designed to help people engage with the maker community by providing a tangible goal. Branding himself as Circuitbeard, combining his passion for electronics and a distinctive physical feature, Matt developed Petduino to address the challenges he faced when entering the maker scene, where he found powerful tools like Arduinos and Raspberry Pis daunting without clear applications. Petduino aims to offer an approachable entry point into electronics, with the potential to integrate with other hardware, such as Raspberry Pi, for expanded capabilities. The kit encourages learning through practical skills like soldering and coding while providing opportunities for customization and creativity. Matt also highlights the supportive community around Petduino, where users can share their creations and ideas, and he continues to explore new projects and enhancements for the kit. Petduino is available in various colors and styles for purchase from the Circuitbeard website, with additional tutorials and community engagement through forums and social media.