Arduino Brings Edge AI Boards, Robotics Demos and Talks to Maker Faire Rome 2026

Arduino’s Maker Faire Rome program puts its recent hardware direction on the show floor: boards that pair real-time microcontroller work with Linux and local AI, alongside projects that let visitors see and hear what those capabilities can do. The event runs October 23–25, and Arduino plans demonstrations, hands-on hardware, talks and training information at booth N.02.

The practical draw is the chance to connect product descriptions with working examples. Attendees can see physical inputs translated into device responses, try boards and kits, and learn how developers are using the UNO Q. Arduino also has two scheduled talks that trace the board’s first year and the move from UNO Q to VENTUNO Q.

Physical AI and robotics on the show floor

The Arduino VENTUNO Q will feature in a Tangible Tech demonstration. A linked video of the Tangible Tech demo powered by VENTUNO Q offers a preview: supported hardware processes inputs and responds to physical interaction with low latency. That makes the demo a useful way to see how software-driven behavior can connect to the timing demands of physical devices.

Arduino will also present a social robot demonstration developed with STMicroelectronics. Visitors can see it at either company’s booth. ST’s booth will also feature industrial monitoring, e-scooters and edge sensing, giving attendees a chance to compare examples of computing and sensing at the edge across different applications. The companies will join for a talk at the ST booth; the event information provided so far doesn’t list its title or time.

These demonstrations address a practical question for developers: how much of a project’s processing can happen on the device, close to its sensors and actuators? A live demonstration can help make the answer more concrete, though it won’t by itself establish how a system performs across different workloads or deployment conditions.

Boards and projects to try

Visitors can handle the Arduino UNO Q and VENTUNO Q. Arduino describes both as “dual-brain” boards, combining microcontroller control for real-time tasks with Linux runtimes and local AI capabilities. The combination is intended for projects that need both responsive hardware control and software environments capable of running more complex workloads on the device.

That architecture can reduce the need to split every project between a microcontroller and a separate computer. It also gives developers distinct pieces to understand and work with: time-sensitive control, Linux software and AI processing. The booth is a place to examine how Arduino presents those pieces working together; the source information doesn’t specify board-level performance figures, compatibility details or migration requirements.

Music makers can explore the UNO Q DIY Synth Bundle. Its demonstrations use digital signal processing and Python scripts to build custom synthesizer projects. This offers a concrete example of combining software experimentation with real-time sound generation, and gives visitors a project format they can adapt to their own interests.

Arduino will also show its new USB Camera, aimed at computer vision and real-world sensing projects. The company says more new launches will be revealed, but hasn’t named them in the event preview. For teams evaluating hardware, the camera demo and any later product reveals may help clarify how the boards connect to sensing tasks beyond the examples already described.

Visitors who subscribe to Arduino’s newsletter at the booth can receive a 10% discount on their next hardware purchase. The offer is relevant for people planning to expand a setup, though the published information doesn’t detail its terms.

AI training and the UNO Q’s first year

Qualcomm Academy will be at the Arduino booth to present certification programs for developers who want to build AI deployment skills using compatible edge platforms. That adds a learning component to the hardware demos: people can ask about training alongside seeing the devices in use. The announcement doesn’t identify the programs, prerequisites or specific platforms, so those details will need to come from the Academy team.

Arduino’s stage program looks back at the UNO Q’s first year. At Maker Faire Rome 2025, the board made its first public appearance, as described in Arduino’s account of meeting attendees with UNO Q. This year’s talks connect that debut to the company’s subsequent work on edge AI and community projects.

• From UNO Q to VENTUNO Q: Arduino’s First Year with Qualcomm
  Speaker: Stefano Implicito, Marketing Director at Arduino
  When: October 23 at 4:30 PM
  Focus: The talk will cover how Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies are shaping edge AI and accessible compute.
• One Year of Projects with Arduino UNO Q
  Speaker: Massimo Banzi, Co-founder of Arduino
  When: October 24 at 4:00 PM
  Focus: Banzi will present creative and technically sophisticated community projects built with UNO Q during its first year. Attendees who missed his appearance at Maker Faire Bay Area can catch the presentation in Rome.

Plan the visit

Tickets must be purchased online in advance; there won’t be a ticket counter at the venue. Attendees can find ticket details on the Maker Faire Rome ticket page, and event information at the Maker Faire Rome site.

For engineers and product teams, booth N.02 offers a compact look at Arduino’s current edge-computing approach: real-time control alongside Linux and local AI, demonstrated through sensing, robotics and audio projects. The talks and hands-on sessions should help visitors judge which examples map to their own work, while details on the unnamed launches and training programs remain the key things to watch at the event.

Qualcomm Academy is a program of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Arduino, UNO, and VENTUNO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Arduino S.r.l.