In this chapter, we took a look at the microcontroller context before and after the introduction of the Arduino platform. We met some of the family members and we came to know about their most significant features so that you can decide which one of them best matches the requirements of the project that you are thinking about.

We also learned about the Arduino extensions, called shields, and saw some of the official shields developed by the Arduino team.

In the next chapter, we will download, install, and take a tour of the Arduino IDE, and we will finish by uploading our first sketch to our board, so roll up your sleeves as we begin to enjoy working with our favorite microcontroller.