Physical Computing with Phidgets: Sensor Data and Streams

How do we bridge the gap between software code and the physical world? This course introduces you to physical computing using Phidgets—easy-to-use USB sensors and controllers that allow your programs to interact with the environment. You will learn how to write programs that read real-time data from sensors, process these data streams, and control physical outputs. By building a solid foundation in both the hardware concepts and software logic, you will be ready to solve practical engineering and automation problems. What you'll learn: - Understand the core principles of physical computing and Phidget hardware interfaces - Configure and connect various sensors to read temperature, light, and motion - Process real-time data streams using modern, event-driven programming techniques - Apply data filtering methods to handle noisy sensor inputs and improve accuracy - Build basic control loops that trigger physical outputs based on sensor thresholds - Practice writing clean, structured code to manage hardware state and error handling We begin with the essential terminology of sensors, inputs, outputs, and data streams. From there, you will progress through structured text explanations and code examples that show you how to initialize hardware, write event handlers, and process incoming data streams. This course is designed for beginners in engineering, computer science, or hobbyist electronics. No prior hardware experience or complex electronics knowledge is required. Start learning today and bring your software into the physical world.