Determined to get more young Bermudians involved with electronics and robotics, teacher Harry Matthie has brought thousands of dollars worth of microcontrolling equipment to the Island.

Mr Matthie, who will be using the machines in classes he will be running this summer, believes they also show potential for a new industry on the Island.

The Arduino microcontroller can be programmed to control electronic devices such as drones and, according to Mr Matthie, anyone can learn to do it from the comfort of their own bedroom.

Mr Matthie said that all instructions are freely available online through open source learning and that materials can be ordered via the internet.

“There is an ocean of resources available to help anyone to create anything with an Arduino and it is relatively inexpensive to get started in this field,” he said.

Mr Matthie plans to run a Science for Kids class in the summer and, if he gets enough students, a Community Education class from September.

He said of the potential in Bermuda: “If we had a critical mass of people who knew how it could be applied to every day life and business then we could grow an industry on the Island that can be exported.

“Microcontrollers is now embedded in many industries from car manufacturing to aerospace and there is a lack of qualified people.”

Anyone interested in Mr Matthie’s classes should email him on harry.topshelftechnology@gmail.com