40 Awesome Arduino Projects That You Must Try 2023: Get Started with DIY Electronics and Programmable Circuits!

Looking to get started with your new Arduino but feeling unsure of where to begin? No need to worry! We’ve compiled a list of 40 innovative and fun Arduino projects that are perfect for beginners. These projects have been hand-selected and are some of our personal favorites.

New to Arduino? Here’s What You Need to Know

If you’re unfamiliar with what an Arduino is, don’t worry! Check out our beginner’s guide “What is Arduino?: Overview and How to Get Started” for a comprehensive introduction to this exciting technology.

Easiest Way to get started with Arduino Projects!

The world of Arduinos may be daunting for a beginner but we got you covered! Here at Seeed, we’ve created a kit that consists of 10 different sensors with a tutorial on how to get started!

Grove Beginner Kit for Arduino with 10 Sensors and 12 Projects with Free Course

Learning Arduino is not easy as you’ll need to understand the hardware, programming, and connection methods. Fret not. The Grove Beginner Kit for Arduino is an all-in-one kit that requires no breadboard, soldering, or wiring! It comes with 10 sensors and a step-by-step tutorial of 12 different projects for you to have the best experience learning about Arduinos! Find out more at Seeed’s online store!

Stay tuned till the end as I will show you a selection guide on how to choose the right Arduino board for your next project!


40 Handpicked Selection of My Personal Favorite Arduino Projects

1. Farmaid: Plant Disease Detection Robot

Use the DonkeyCar platform to build an autonomous robot that can move around a farm environment without damaging existing plants or soil, and use objects detection to find and mark diseased crops with eco-friendly colors.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

2. Arduino clock with Islamic prayer times

A practical, simple arduino project of creating a real time clock capable of displaying Gregorian dates and daily prayer times. For this simple circuit we need to use an Arduino UNO (or any Arduino board), RTC DS1307 and NOKIA 5110 LCD.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

3. Door Lock System with Arduino

Just thought of making a password based door lock system in which you can enter the password via the keypad. It was an interesting project which required beginner’s level skill in programming and very easy to connect circuit.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

4. Arduino Nano BLE 33 Sense Game Controller

PRABEEN made this game controller by using Arduino Nano BLE 33 Sense which has an onboard proximity sensor. As you can see is a fun and easy Arduino project!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

5. Arduino Radar

It detects stationary and moving objects using ultrasonic sensor and Arduino. And this is a easy Arduino proejct for begnnier!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

6. Classify Candy in Free Fall Using TinyML

Components:

>>Explore the full project

7. Arduino Weather Station

A powerful Arduino weather station can help you water plants and lawns more efficiently. Use the daily report to decide if you can skip a day’s irrigation. Smart Weather will even automatically communicate with connected irrigation systems. In this cool arduino project you can learn how to use Arduino uno and sensors to monitor the temperature and humidity of your garden.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

8. Arduino 3D Axonometric Projection

3D projection is any method of mapping three-dimensional points to a two-dimensional plane. As most current methods for displaying graphical data are based on planar two-dimensional media, the use of this type of projection is widespread, especially in computer graphics and engineering.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

9. Making Famous Magic Wand 33x Faster

Do you want to be a wizard once? This project will demonstrate how to turn the stick in your hand into a magic wand using a small PCB borad.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

10. Arduino Distance sensor and OLED

Use Arduino UNO and an Ultrasonic Sensor to detect the distance of objects and use a Graphic OLED to display the distance.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

11. DIY a Programmable Acrylic Monitor Stand

This project introduces a programmable acrylic monitor stand to raise the height of the monitor to ensure you maintain a proper and correct sitting position.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

12. Lucky Money Counting Box for Chinese New Year

This project uses Arduino Uno Rev3 and Grove Base Shield V2.0 to make this Lucky Money Counting Box for those who want to count their red packets. With the IR distance sensor, you can use this box to easily calculate other things if you want.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

13. How to make Smart Dustbin with Arduino

Ref: LifeHacker

This trash can is really smart, it’s just smart and wonderful at handling trash! This sensor-based bin allows you to “open” your bin without actually touching the lid. This is perfect if your hands are full or just don’t want to touch the dirty lid of the trash can.

An Arduino-based project using an ultrasonic sensor is explained very simple step by step, with links to the code and parts used, and the creator responds to queries.

Components

>>Explore the full project

14. IoT Weather Data Logger Using Blues Wireless& Qubitro

Want to build your own IoT-based weather data logger?

Through this project you will walk through creating an IoT-based weather data logger using Blues Wireless hardware modules; no SD card, Wi-Fi, or BLE is required. Just connect your Blues Notecard and Notecarrier to the controller to track your weather data.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

15. Arduino Robotic Arm Controlled by Touch Interface

How to build a robotic arm with Arduino and a graphical touch interface? With the help of the graphical interface, it is not only possible to move the individual joints in all possible directions, but also to program the movements to be performed repeatedly.

Components:

  • Arduino Uno
  • HC05 Bluetooth module
  • One SG90 Servo Motor (I got the one with metal gears)
  • 5x MG996R Servomotors (more powerful than SG90)

>>Explore the full project

16. DIY Fitness Tracker(GET-FIT) based on Arduino

Introducing GetFit, your ultimate health and workout buddy! The authors made GetFit, an easy-to-use, teachable fitness tracker capable of detecting a wide variety of workouts. Powered by Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense and Edge Impulse, it is a fully open source project.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

17. Arduino VGA Console With Five Games

See how to build your own simple console that can play Pong, Breakout, Bomber, Tetris and drawing toys inspired by Etch-a-Sketch.

The main function of this console is to generate VGA signals. The only components are two potentiometers, five buttons, a few resistors, and a (VGA) connector. Piezo speakers are optional. You can see what these games look like in the pictures on this page.

Components:

  • Arduino Uno Rev. 3
  • DSUB15 Connector
  • linear potentiometers
  • buttons x 5
  • some piece of cable
  • one or two nice boxes to put all the components.

>>Explore the full project

18. Motion Following Motorized Camera Base

Have you considered that the camera can monitor the room in all directions? This project creates a motion detection/tracking base. You can attach a camera to it so it automatically repositions itself wherever it detects motion.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

19. DIY Color Sensor based on Arduino

Are you also facing difficulties when wanting to use Arduino for color detection for classification or other applications? This project takes advantage of the fundamental properties of semiconductors to create an Arduino-based, DIY, low-cost color sensor using components you probably already have.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

20. Arduino Robotic Bartender – 3D Printable & Bluetooth

Home robot bartender? Sounds great. This project uses an Arduino Uno to build yourself a low-cost and easy-to-assemble Bluetooth-controlled robotic bartender. This simple Arduino-based project can be 3D printed and is a cool Arduino project for beginners.

Components:

  • Arduino UNO
  • Motor driver
  • Contact Switch
  • Stepper Motor
  • HM10 Bluetooth Module

>>Explore the full project

21. Arduino Music Instrument

Ref: LanmiLab

Want to use gesture control and handwaves to control your Arduino UNO R3? With this Arduino project, you can make that come true! Through this project, you will be using a board called Flick which is a PCB that is able to detect your gestures from up to 15cm away in 3D space. Draw a circle, swipe your hand – Flick will track it.

With Flick, the possibilities are endless! You can now control your computer, TV, music system, and many more with a Flick of the Wrist! In this Arduino UNO R3 project, we will be using Flick with the Arduino UNO to create a musical instrument!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

22. Arduino UNO Fingerprint Door Lock

Ref: 卢伟聪

Always losing your keys but do not wish to install a fingerprint door lock due to its high price? What if I told you that you can build your own fingerprint security door lock for only $70! With this project, you do not need to worry about losing your keys anymore as this door opens at the tap of your fingerprints.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

23. Arduino Robot Car

Ref: Black keyhole

Obstacle Avoiding Robot is an intelligent device that can automatically sense the obstacle in front of it and avoid them by turning itself in another direction. This design allows the robot to navigate in an unknown environment by avoiding collisions, which is a primary requirement for any autonomous mobile robot. The application of obstacle avoiding robots is not limited and it is used in many military organizations which helps carry out many risky jobs that cannot be completed by any soldiers.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

24. DIY Arduino Handheld Game Console!

Ref: the Technowright

Smartphone & iPad gaming is great and nothing can beat the charm of making your own game console and playing with it. In this video, you will learn to make an Arduino handheld GameBoy game console. It uses an Arduino micro and OLED display to make a tiny gaming console, even smaller than the GameBoy pocket. This is an arduboy compatible system which is an 8 bit, credit card-sized gaming platform, that makes open source games easy to learn, share and play. You can play games made by others or you can also design your own games for it.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

25. UNO Home Automation

This tutorial demonstrates how to setup a simple DIY home automation using an Arduino, which will save you a lot of money. The whole setup takes less than 15 minutes to configure and will cost you less than $30. Moreover, the incremental cost of adding more electrical appliance comes down to only about $1.50 per device.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

26. DIY Humidifier – Grove Water Atomization

Make your own humidifier or scent dispenser using Seeeduino Nano + Grove Water Atomization, keep track of the current humidity with DHT11

What do you need? (Other than Arduino UNO)

>>Explore the full project

27. UNO Universal Remote Control

Do you have multiple remote controls lying around? Want to get rid of them and replace them with just one universal remote? With this project, you can!

Through this project, you will convert an ordinary Keyes infra-red (IR) remote into a programmable universal remote.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

28. Laser Tripwire Alarm Security System

Ref: SurtrTech

Through this project, you will create a laser tripwire alarm system where once the laser beams are cut, the alarm will go off and will not stop until a button is pressed. In addition, you can also set up a passcode to make it even more secure where it now requires a passcode entered into it to stop the alarm.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

29. Arduino Weather Station with Nextion Display

Ref: Educ8s

With a Nextion Display, you can build your own weather information system where you can tell the temperature and humidity of the weather easily! If you do not know what is a Nextion display, you can check out our guide on Introduction to Human Machine Interface With Nextion.

With an easy to use the software, you can also easily add more functions and features to your display!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

30. OLED RTC Clock

Instead of buying, why not build one with the addition of an RTC (Real Time Clock) module to easily make yourself an OLED digital clock with the UNO to show the date, time and day!

Curious about why you need a separate module to keep track of the time when your Arduino already has a built-in timekeeper? Find out the answer in our guide on RTC!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

31. HX711 and Load Cell Arduino Punching Bag

Ever wonder how much power is in that punch of yours? Why not try making a punching bag with a force gauge to measure the amount of force of your punch in newtons! Through this project, you will learn how to measure your fist power using a load cell and HX711 together with the Arduino.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

32. DIY Arduino RC Hovercraft

Controlling RC Hovercraft with DIY Arduino based RC Transmitter
Ref: Howtomechatronics

Want to step up your robot car game? Why not build a floating Hovercraft that can be controlled using a remote control!

Find out the science of how a hovercraft is able to be lifted in the air and many more through this project!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

33. Arduino Ping Pong Game

Related image

Remember this popular retro Ping Pong game? Well, you can build and control it easily with the UNO and a few common components.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

34. Wristwatch Walkie-Talkie

Ref: Ric2011A

Want to communicate with your friends in a fun and cool manner? Why not try out this wearable walkie-talkie inspired by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

35. Arduino RFID Door Lock

Arduino RFID Door Lock Access Control Project
Ref: Howtomechatronics

There are many ways to make your traditional door lock go smart from fingerprint, passcode, etc. and also this RFID door lock!

How it works is that if a tag/card is near the scanner, the door will automatically open and after you close it, it will automatically lock. A convenient way! No more fumbling with keys anymore, just tap your card and your door is now opened. Not to mention, its cheap to build as well!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

36. Automated Plant Watering System

Set It and Forget It!
Ref: rbates4

Are you tired of your plants dying and want something to babysit your plants? Going somewhere and unable to take care of your precious plants?

If your answers are yes, this Arduino project will be just for you! With this automated watering system, it will automatically deliver an adjustable volume of water of up to 4 plants every day or once every “x” day whichever you specify (up to seven days). It even comes with artificial sunlight for your plants to grow healthily.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

37. Raspberry Pi Arduino Intelligent Tea Sensor

Ref: Allaboutcircuits

Do you ever find yourself opening up a teabag/coffee container with no tea or coffee beans? This is one of the saddest moments that one could experience so we’ve got a solution to solve it! With this project, we will be building an intelligent tea bag container sensor to estimate the number of tea bags left which will inform us if we start to run out.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

38. Lightweight Arduino GSM Mobile Phone

Ref: Avishek

Feel like your mobile phone is too heavy for your liking or too costly? Why not try making one yourself that is lightweight and capable of national and international features!

This Arduino mobile phone is able to make calls, receive calls and also send and receive SMS as well. It uses a GSM module to connect to the mobile network and Nextion display to visualize GUI interfaces.

Components:

>>Explore the full project

39. DIY Low-Cost Air Hockey Table

Ref: Technovation Projects

As a professional air hockey setup is usually only available in arcades due to its sophisticated system, it is hard to actually enjoy the gaming experience in the comfort of your own home.

But what if I told you, you can build it yourself easily and at a low cost too! This project is customized and easily scalable where if you want your air hockey table to be of a bigger size, you can!

Components:

>>Explore the full project

40. Automated Cocktail Drink Machine

Ref: CamdenS5

To end it off, we have a cocktail drink machine! This automated cocktail machine is not your everyday alcohol dispensing machine. It consists of 4 different stations to make sure your cocktail tastes as good as what you get in the bar. The stations are:

  • Automated Mint, Sugar, and Lime Muddle for releasing all the flavours
  • Automated Lime Slicer and Dispenser
  • Automated Mint and Sugar Dispenser
  • Automated Liquid Dispenser

With this project, it will definitely satisfy all your alcohol needs 🙂

Components:

>>Explore the full project


Compact Yet Powerful Arduino Compatible Board from Seeed Studio

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-111.png

Seeeduino XIAO – Arduino Microcontroller – SAMD21 Cortex M0+ with Free Course

Reasons to strongly recommend Seeeduino XIAO:

  • Powerful performance
  • Super cost-effective
  • Ultra-small size
  • Stable supply
  • Perfect for mini Arduino projects
  • Rich and complete tutorial

With a smaller footprint and faster speed compared to most Arduino boards here, the Seeeduino XIAO is perfect to integrate into almost any project from wearables to small robots.

Standing at only 23.5 x 17.5mm, this board is as small as your thumb. The Seeeduino XIAO is the smallest Arduino compatible board in Seeeduino Family. It is an Arduino microcontroller that is embedded with the SAMD21 microchip with rich interfaces as well allowing it to be capable of being a tiny Dev. Board as well.

Specification of Seeeduino XIAO

ItemValue
CPUARM Cortex-M0+ CPU(SAMD21G18) running at up to 48MHz
Flash Memory256KB
SRAM32KB
Digital I/O Pins11
Analog I/O Pins11
I2C interface1
SPI interface1
QTouch7 (A0,A1,A6,A7,A8,A9,A10)
UART interface1
Power supply and downloading interfaceType-C
Operating Voltage 3.3V
Dimensions20×17.5×3.5mm

It can be applied to the following scenarios and more:

  • Wearable devices
  • Rapid prototyping (directly attached to the expanded PCB as a minimal system)
  • Perfect for all the projects that need a mini Arduino
  • DIY keyboard
  • USB development (USB to multi-channel TTL/USB host mode, etc.)
  • In a scenario where you need to read multiple mock values The DAC output

Seeed Studio XIAO Family

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 leverages dual-core ESP32S3 chip, supporting both Wi-Fi and BLE wireless connectivities, which allows battery charge. It integrates built-in camera sensor, digital microphone. It offers 8MB PSRAM, 8MB FLASH, and external SD card slot. All of these make it suitable for embedded ML, like intelligent voice and vision AI.


Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 leverages 240MHz Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, supporting both WiFi and BLE 5.0 wireless connectivities, allows for deep sleep mode with power consumption as low as 14μA while supporting lithium battery charging management. Ideal for the Internet of Things, Smart Homes, Wireless wearable devices, Robotics, etc.


Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 adopts new RISC-V architecture, supporting both Wi-Fi and BLE wireless connectivities. For Internet of Things applications, you will find it is flexible and suitable for all kinds of IoT scenarios.


Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040

XIAO RP2040 is a microcontroller using the Raspberry Pi RP2040 chip. The MCU runs at up to 133MHz. It is built with rich interfaces in a tiny thumb size and fully supports Arduino, MicroPython, and CircuitPython.

The onboard interfaces are enough for developing multiple applications. And it has no components on the back, is breadboard-friendly, and SMD design, making it easy to use for projects.


Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 (Sense)

As the first wireless product in the Seeed XIAO family, Seeed XIAO BLE & BLE Sense has equipped a powerful Nordic nRF52840 MCU which is designed in a Bluetooth 5.0 module, built around a 32-bit ARM® Cortex™-M4 CPU with Floating-Point Unit(FPU) operating at 64Mhz.

With the capability of wireless connection, they still remain the Seeed XIAO series classic form-factor of small and exquisite which can be used for wearable devices and Internet of Things projects.

Looking forward to your awesome Arduino Projects using Seeeduino XIAO Series products!


Summary

Those are just some Arduino projects to get your brain juices flowing and get started on the Arduino.

If these projects aren’t what you are looking for, you can check out Seeed Project Hub, Hackster.io, Instructables or Arduino Project Hub which features over 200+ Arduino projects with source codes, schematics and also DIY instructions!

Here at Seeed, we also offer various Arduino boards like the Nano, MKR1000, Mega, Micro, Pro Mini and many more! Not to mention, we also have our own line of compatible boards called Seeeduino that is very cost-effective.

Looking for Arduino Shields or modules and sensors? We have them too!

Arduino Boards Selection Guide

There are many different Arduino boards that are available, but how do we choose? Here is a cumulative table with all the different Arduino boards available and their various specifications for you! Keen to learn more? Check out “Arduino Boards Selection Guide”!

ProcessorOperating VoltageClock Speed Digital I/O PWM Analog Inputs UART

Grove Flash(KB)USB
Arduino Uno ATmgea3285V 16 MHZ 14661032Micro USB
Arduino Mega 2560 R3 ATmega25605V16 MHZ 54151640256Type-B USB
Arduino Nano ATmgea3285V 16 MHZ 14681032Mini USB
Arduino Micro ATmega32u45V16 MHZ 207122032Micro USB
Arduino YUN ATmega32u45V16 MHZ 207122032Micro USB
Arduino MKR1000 wifi ATSAMW25 SoC5V48 MHZ812710256Micro USB
Seeeduino Mega ATmega25605V/3.3V16MHz70141640256Micro USB
Seeeduino Lite ATmega32u45V/3.3V16MHz207121232Micro USB
Seeeduino GPRS ATmega32u45V/3.3V16MHz207121032Micro USB
Seeeduino Cloud ATmega32u45V/3.3V16MHz207121232Micro USB
Seeeduino V4.2 Atmega3285V/3.3V16MHz14661332Micro USB
Seeeduino Stalker V3.1 Atmega328P5V/3.3V 8MHz14061232Mini USB
Seeeduino LoRaWAN ATSAMD21G18 5V/3.3V48MHz 2020624256Micro USB
Seeeduino LoRaWAN W/GPS ATSAMD21G183.3V48MHz 2020614256Micro USB
Seeeduino Lotus V1.1 Atmega328P5V 16MHz 1467 (0-5, ADC)21232Micro USB
Seeeduino Lotus Cortex-M0+ SAMD213.3V 48MHz 14106112256Micro USB
Seeeduino Cortex-M0+ SAMD215V 48MHz 1410613256Type-C
Seeeduino Nano Atmega328P5V 16MHz 14681132Type-C
Seeeduino Crypto ATmega48095V16MHz 14561348Type-C
Seeeduino XIAO SAMD21G183.3V48MHz11101110256Type-C
NodeMCU v2 32-bit RISC Tensilica Xtensa LX106 3.3V80MHz1611204Micro USB
TI MSP430 USB LaunchPad  MSP430F55293V25MHz8141620128Micro USB
Particle Photon STM32F2055V120MHz18910101MBMicro USB
GeeekNET ESP32 Development Board Xtensa® Single-/Dual-core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor3.3V160MHz39162304MBMini USB
Wio Terminal ATSAMD51P19 5V120MHzvia Grovevia Grovevia Grove124Type- C

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