How can we build bridges from the digital world of the Internet to the analog world that surrounds us? By bringing accessibility to embedded components such as sensors and microcontrollers, JavaScript and Node.js might shape the world of physical computing as they did for web browsers. This practical guide shows hardware and software engineers, makers, and web developers how to talk in JavaScript with a variety of hardware platforms. Authors Patrick Mulder and Kelsey Breseman also delve into the basics of microcontrollers, single-board computers, and other hardware components.

• Use JavaScript to program microcontrollers with Arduino and Espruino


• Prototype IoT devices with the Tessel 2 development platform


• Learn about electronic input and output components, including sensors


• Connect microcontrollers to the Internet with the Particle Photon toolchain


• Run Node.js on single-board computers such as Raspberry Pi and Intel Edison


• Talk to embedded devices with Node.js libraries such as Johnny-Five, and remotely control the devices with Bluetooth


• Use MQTT as a message broker to connect devices across networks


• Explore ways to use robots as building blocks for shared experiences