Course Overview

Interacting with the real world using the SenseHAT on the Raspberry Pi is a development track focused on getting you working with the Raspberry Pi & the add-on SenseHat board. The Sense HAT board is an add-on board for Raspberry Pi, originally made for the Astro Pi mission. The SenseHat was launched to the International Space Station in December 2015 as part of the AstroPi mission.  The SenseHAT has an 8×8 RGB LED matrix, a five-button joystick and includes the following sensors:

• Gyroscope
• Accelerometer
• Magnetometer
• Temperature
• Barometric pressure
• Humidity

Using the Sense HAT  on the Raspberry Pi you will learn to interact with the real world through the various on-board sensors. You will use Python (as the programming language) to create different types of animations on the SenseHAT LED’s, measure the room atmospheric pressure and room temperature, measure the speed at which you are traveling, measure the humidity of the air in the room, etc. You will capture the measured values and display them using the on-board  RGB LED’s. The Sense HAT also comes with a joystick which you will program to create interactive animations and games on the Raspberry Pi. Our primary language of development on the Raspberry Pi and SenseHAT will be Python.

This is an advanced development track. It is recommended that you complete the following development tracks before you take up this development track –

1. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch – I
2. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch – II
3. Advanced coding concepts with Scratch – I
4. Advanced coding concepts with Scratch – II
5. Exploring Coding Concepts Using the BBC micro:bit – I
6. Exploring Coding Concepts Using the BBC micro:bit – II
7. Introduction to MicroPython on the BBC micro:bit

Prerequisites

1. This development track is based on the Rasbperry Pi and the Raspberry Pi SenseHAT add on board
2. Depending on where you live you might also be able to pick up the Rasbperry Pi and the Raspberry Pi SenseHAT add on board at your local electronics hobby store.

About the Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools and in developing countries. It is a capable little computer which can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word processing, browsing the internet, and playing games. The original model became far more popular than anticipated, selling outside its target market for uses such as robotics.

The Raspberry Pi does not include peripherals (such as keyboards, mice and cases). However, some accessories have been included in several official and unofficial bundles. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, over 5 million Raspberry Pis were sold by February 2015, making it the best-selling British computer. By November 2016 they had sold 11 million units, and 12.5m by March 2017, making it the third best-selling “general purpose computer”. In July 2017, sales reached nearly 15 million.In March 2018, sales reached 19 million. Most Pis are made in a Sony factory in Pencoed, Wales; some are made in China or Japan.

You can read more about the Raspberry Pi here – RaspberryPi.org.