Webinar:
How to Use Arduino to Go Beyond Prototyping in Industrial Automation

Question & Answers

1. Are there plans to integrate machine learning capabilities into future Arduino boards?
It’s here already and expanding: Nicla Sense ME + Edge Impulse for tinyML; Portenta X8 runs Linux containers for on-device AI. Expect continued ML-ready hardware and first-party examples in the years to come. Stay tuned in 2025 and 2026 for more exciting announcements from Arduino on ML workloads

2. What do you mean by condition monitoring in the context of Arduino’s industrial applications?
Continuous sensing (vibration, temp, current, pressure) at the edge, with thresholds or ML to detect anomalies (bearing wear, imbalance, overheating) before a failure. We have a special Opta product launch coming in Q4 2025. Stay tuned!

3. Is NICLA a product name or a technology? Please clarify its role within the Arduino ecosystem.
Nicla” is a product family of tiny, industrial-oriented sensor/AI modules: Nicla Sense ME, Nicla Vision, Nicla Voice, Nicla Sense Env, etc. Think “plug-in brains” for edge sensing/AI.

4. Will the NICLA series follow the Open-Source Hardware model, similar to earlier Arduino boards?
No, Nicla, Portenta, and Opta do not follow the Open Source Hardware Model of earlier Arduino boards.

5. What’s the easiest way for engineers or educators to begin experimenting with Arduino PRO products like the Opta or Portenta Proto Kits in lab or factory environments?
For Opta, grab the ACE-100 and ACE-120 Arduino Academy courses and the Opta Trainer kits — they walk from “hello, relay” to advanced PLC configurations, including HMI integration. For Proto Kits, refer to the tutorials available on this link, as well as the Arduino Academy ACE-220 course.

6. What libraries or features are available to make Arduino C code more robust and secure for industrial use, mainly to prevent hang-ups and freezes?
The Opta can run both Arduino C++-based sketches and traditional IEC PLC languages, such as Ladder Diagram. This is possible as the Opta comes with QSPI memory partitioning that organizes features such as OTA, WiFi firmware, and certificates to allow more memory access for Arduino IDE users (C++).

7. How does Arduino manage firmware updates to ensure both security and reliability across deployed devices?
All Arduino PRO family products support secure OTA with X.509 device identity and cloud-side signing/rollout controls. You can also self-host if you want.

8. What safety and longevity standards does Arduino aim for? Can these devices be relied on for up to 30 years in industrial settings?
The parameter commonly used to indicate the longevity of electronic devices is generally MTBF. MTBF is the statistical representation of the likelihood of a unit failing. Although it does not represent a commitment to the product's lifetime, it is a valuable parameter for comparing different products. Opta's MTBF is available on the product's datasheet. Opta also ships with industrial certifications (CE/UKCA/FCC/RoHS listed on the compliance portal) and operates within a temperature range of -20 °C to +50 °C on expansions — but no vendor can promise a 30-year lifecycle today. However, 30 years is a long time, and keep a watch out for refreshing and evergreening migration paths from Arduino. In the meantime, plan for spares, OTA updates, and drop-in upgrades over time.

9. Can Arduino devices integrate with European cloud platforms, such as OVH, especially considering regional data privacy concerns?
Opta speaks HTTPS and MQTT over TLS so that you can post to any endpoint, including OVHcloud in EU regions (GDPR-aligned). The device doesn’t care which cloud as long as there’s a secure URL/broker. Opta also connects to AWS securely.

10. How does Arduino ensure interoperability with existing industrial systems such as SCADA, MES, and HMI, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and deployment flexibility?
Opta has Out-of-the-box Modbus TCP/RTU and tutorial playbooks for OPC UA to Ignition — that’s the fastest bridge into SCADA/MES/HMI you already run. Node-RED works too. Opta has proven HMI integration with Weintek (step-by-step guide in ACE-120 course) using Modbus.

11. Can you confirm whether Zephyr supports 1ms real-time performance on Arduino platforms?
Zephyr allows you to configure the kernel tick (typically 1 ms) and utilize high-resolution timers; the actual loop latency depends on the MCU/clock/ISRs and your build configuration. On Arduino Portenta H7, Zephyr is an officially supported board.

12. Are there other Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) supported besides Zephyr? If so, which ones?
Yes, Mbed OS and FreeRTOS. Arduino is migrating from Mbed to Zephyr.

13. Which microcontroller manufacturers are currently supported by the Arduino platform? For example, is STM supported alongside traditional AVR platforms?
A lot! Today’s Arduino MCUs span Microchip AVR/SAMD, ST STM32 (e.g., Portenta/Opta), Renesas RA (UNO R4), Nordic nRF52 (Nano 33 BLE), and Espressif ESP32 (via Arduino core).

14. How does Arduino ensure compatibility with various sensors across different product lines?
Standard I²C/SPI/UART/ADC plus maintained libraries make sensors portable across boards; Modbus variants cover industrial sensors natively.

15.Where do you see the most significant opportunities for Arduino in industrial automation over the next 2–3 years? Retrofits, predictive maintenance, or new greenfield projects?
Probably Retrofits (low-cost telemetry + control via Opta + expansions). However, I would select all three you mentioned: predictive maintenance (Nicla + Edge ML), and targeted greenfield cells where the Portenta X8 + Opta hybrid control reduces cost/time to deploy.

16. Does the open-source nature of Arduino require developers to release their source code when using Arduino libraries in commercial products?
No, developers don’t need to release their code. They can create a pull request at the Arduino repository and submit their code to make it public (optional). You can even apply for a US patent using open-source libraries if you meet a patentable, unique requirement.