15 Best Arduino Projects That You Can Build Right Now

If you’re an avid electronics lover like me who loves to play with complex components to forge something unique out of them, welcome to this guide. Today, we outline the 15 best Arduino projects to boost your eclectic journey into the magical field of electronics realism.

As you should know already, Arduino is a cheap electronic board that lets you build not only complex but also one-of-a-kind electronic systems. You can program these systems pretty easily, thanks to Arduino’s implementation of an effective programming environment.

Enough with the chit-chats; let us delve right into this list of best Arduino projects for you to build this year.

Best Arduino Projects to Spend Your Time Behind

Below, we’re outlining the best Arduino projects you can take on this year. We’ve picked projects for both beginner and veteran developers alike. Choose one that sparks your interest and dive into that right away.

15. Build a Tiny Weather Display System

This is one of the best Arduino projects for beginning Arduino enthusiasts. It requires you to build a small display that shows off the current weather, highs, and lows. You can also add tomorrow’s weather – if you’re looking for a broader domain.

Program the system in a way so that it can display temperatures with differing units – both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Although it might seem like a small project, it’ll aggravate your Arduino skills required for advanced projects later on.

Highlights of the project

• Select a small Arduino board; our experts recommend the Adafruit HUZZAH board.
• Get a small OLED graphic display to show off the weather.
• You can 3D print the box for a better visual experience.

14. Build a Motion-Triggered Night Lamp for Using Under Your Bed

Ever stumbled across redundant objects when getting up in the middle of the night? If so, then this is gonna be one of the best Arduino projects for your practical life. The project requires you to build an LED lighting system that will be controlled by an Arduino board.

It will detect your motion in the night and trigger the lights as soon as you get up from the bed. Sounds irresistible, doesn’t it? Take on this amazing Arduino project that will leave your friends amazed by your electronic skills.

Highlights of the project

• Hook up the LED lights beneath your bed in a nice serial.
• Trigger the lights by utilizing the motion sensors of an Arduino board.
• Program the system in a way that it does not light up while you’re peacefully sleeping or are in a different room.

13. Build a System for Muting Any Phrase You Want on TV

This is one of the best Arduino projects that’s fun to build and rewarding in nature. If you’re as bored as me hearing about the Kardashians or Mr. Trump always when you turn on the TV, we suggest you take on this compelling project for your next Arduino adventure.

This project does what the heading suggests – mute specific phrases that you do not want to hear. Although it sounds quite challenging for beginners, believe us when we say that this project is very much doable by almost anyone.

Highlights of the project

• The system detects specific words or phrases on the TV by monitoring the closed captioning.
• It requires the Video Experimenter Shield, which can be bought pre-soldered on an Arduino board.
• It unmutes the TV after an interval of your choice as long as the selected catchphrase isn’t mentioned again.

12. Build an Ambilight Sensor for Your LCD Display

Do you want a killer movie-watching system built with your already existing LCD? This is one of the best Arduino projects that deal exclusively with this field.

It requires you to build an Ambilight sensor that will bleed backlight behind your computer display to make your movie or video-watching sessions a lot more immersive than normal.

This very fun yet promising project can reward you with a great visual experience upon successful completion.

Highlights of the project

• The system bleeds backlight behind the monitor, giving users an illusion of a bigger, more immersive display.
• The sensor should successfully detect the accurate color of the background image and change the backlight accordingly.

11. Build a Fingerprint Scanner to Your Garage Door Opener

Another great real-life project is that you will build a fingerprint scanner that will let you inside your garage after confirming your fingerprint first. This is one of the best projects to tackle a practical problem with your DIY Arduino solution.

Although the project can seem a bit complex at first glance, we believe you can easily implement it with strong determination.

Highlights of the project

• Install a small board beside your garage door.
• You can always 3D print the case if looking for a visually compelling scanner.
• Follow the Arduino project hub for instructions on implementing the coding part of this project.

10. Build a Robotic Arm

One of the best Arduino projects for new robotic enthusiasts, this project requires you to build a robotic arm with advanced maneuverability capabilities. We like the most about this project because it forces new Arduino learners like you to learn a lot of different things.

From the basics of construction to breadboarding, you’ll be introduced to a lot of topics required in most advanced real-life Arduino projects. And what’s more rewarding than showcasing your newly built robotic arm to friends and families?

Highlights of the project

• Utilize the meArm robot arm project to get yourself started.
• You can 3D print the different components of the arm or even the side with wooden pieces.
• Use an Arduino IDE to code the underlying logic associated with your robotic arm.

9. Build a Fully Functional Computer Control Panel

Have you ever wished to build a fully functional control panel for your computer just like you’ve watched in those sci-fi films?

If so, then this might turn out to be one of the best Arduino projects for you. Although compelling, the project is not all that tough at first look.

The Arduino board will act as the brain of the project, whereas a select set of USB controllers will allow you to control the different aspects of your computer – from controlling the system sound to setting screen preferences.

Highlights of the project

• The control panel lets you launch apps, control volume, change screen preferences, and many more.
• Set up a select number of monochrome switches and LEDs to create a mesmerizing visual experience.
• Curate the system more personalized, based on how you want it to function rather than implementing someone else’s perception.

8. Build a Robot Car

Nothing beats the combination of DC motors and Arduino when building awe-inspiring electronics projects. So, one of the best Arduino projects you can take on this year is building a robot car from scratch.

You can only use household materials or may opt for 3D printing your car’s components if aiming for a visually stunning robot. This project is fascinating visually and rewards you with a deep understanding of advanced motor control.

Highlights of the project

• A Li-ion battery and a set of DC motors will power the robotic car. We recommend you stick with the 12V variants.
• Utilize an analog joystick and the L298N driver to control the car.
• You can even utilize a wireless controller to control your robotic car if you are looking for a much wider scope.

7. Build a Clone of the Popular Flappy Bird Game

This can be one of the best Arduino projects for you if you’re into gaming and that sort of stuff. The game is a clone of the popular Flappy Bird game for smartphones where you, as a gamer, control the bird by touching the capacitive touchscreen and avoiding the pillars in front of the bird’s way.

You’ll learn many things while building this project, including Arduino fundamentals and game theory. The coding aspect is a bit tricky, but with enough patience, we’re sure you’ll get hold of it.

Highlights of the project

• You need a 3.2-inch TFT touchscreen to feature the visual.
• Utilize both a TFT Mega shield adapter and an Arduino Mega board for this game.
• Use the UTFT and URTouch libraries for the coding part of this project.
• You can use the EEPROM library for storing the highest score.

6. Build a Personalized Alarm System

One of the best Arduino projects to deal with security, this project is fun to build yet rewarding in nature. It requires you to build an ultrasonic alarm system using an Arduino board. This is a great starting point for all you security enthusiasts.

The alarm system will be activated whenever a person or object appears in front of the sensor. You can then deactivate the alarm by typing in a predefined password of your choice.

Highlights of the project

• The project components include an ultrasonic sensor, an LCD, a 4×4 keypad, and a buzzer.
• The sensor detects any forthcoming objects and activates the alarm.
• The user enters a password to deactivate the system.

5. Build a Quadruped Using Arduino

This is a great Arduino project for intermediate developers with an interest in the field of robotics. This biologically inspired Quadruped is similar in outlook to a spider and requires you to construct the outer materials carefully.

Each of the four legs will have three joints, and every joint will require a servo motor. This is one of the best Arduino projects for aspiring robotics enthusiasts, as it forces you to teach yourself the fundamentals required to implement automated robots.

Highlights of the project

• The project requires 12 servo motors and a detailed understanding of the servo motor working principles.
• You need a 12-pin Arduino board to connect the 12 servo motors to them.
• You can spice up the project by implementing a wireless controller to control the Quadruped.

4. Build a Kaleidoscope Infinity Mirror

One of the best Arduino projects that help you master the technology requires you to build a Kaleidoscope Infinity Mirror using the Arduino board. This mirror will create a mind-blowing infinity mirror illusion in the viewer’s eyes.

As you change the orientation of the mirror, you control this mirror, which, in turn, gives a kaleidoscopic effect. The colors will also vary based on the orientation. You can spice up the project further by introducing a vividly psychedelic effect into the mirror.

Highlights of the project

• You will require a set of LED lights along with an Arduino 101 board. The Sparkfun version is recommended, but you can also side with Adafruit’s NeoPixels.
• You can use heat shrink tubing if feeling a bit fancy.
• The mirror will be powered by using a set of AA batteries.

3. Build an Autonomous “Follow Me” Cooler

A fun yet rewarding project to build for seasoned developers, this is one of the best Arduino projects that come in handy in real-life scenarios. In this project, you will build an autonomous cooler that will follow you wherever you go. Sounds fun, right?

You can find an unused cooler from pawn shops or even buy a low-end version yourself. Create a wooden base that will include the wheels for transporting the cooler. This project will make sure your beers stay cool and right behind wherever you go!

Highlights of the project

• Use a medium-density fiberboard (MDF) for the base panel.
• The cooler needs to connect with your smartphone via either Bluetooth or GPS to navigate behind you.
• The L298n Motor Driver is recommended for controlling the swivel motors.

2. Build a Gesture Control with Arduino

One of the best Arduino projects regarding satisfaction is that even seasoned developers will sweat to build. The project requires you to control an Arduino project by gesturing your hand.

Let’s imagine you’re controlling the robot car project you built earlier by moving your hands rather than using an external controller. Sounds eclectic, right? You need tools such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer to build such a project effectively.

Highlights of the project

• Utilize the GY-80 module to implement and control the different sensors.
• We recommend you use the NRF24L01 transceiver module for effective wireless communication.
• Utilize the MEMS module to control the overall project.

1. Build a Smoke Detection System Using the MQ-2 Gas Sensor

This will definitely sit on top of the best Arduino projects you can take on this year. The project is fancy regarding presentation and solves a real-life problem in an exceptionally well-laid-out manner. Your project will consist of a system that detects smoke and other inflammatory gases using the MQ-2 gas sensor.

It will feature a buzzer that gets turned on whenever the system detects a certain level of smoke. An LED indicator will also be featured that will turn red when the system senses such gases and remain green when the environment is safe.

Highlights of the project

• The MQ-2 gas sensor will detect the presence of any potential gases.
• The analog input of the sensor will activate the buzzer after reaching a prespecified level of gas presence.
• The buzzer will be turned on, and the LED will signal a red light in case of any detection.
• Spice up the project so it sends an SMS to your personal number whenever it detects any gas.

Ending Thoughts

We have reached the end of today’s post featuring the best Arduino projects. Thanks for staying with us on such a long journey. We’ve curated this list so that newcomers and seasoned Arduino experts can find some form of inspiration and take on a specific project from the list.

We encourage you to modify the projects as you build them because we believe that’s the only way you learn electronics. Thanks again, and I hope you will stay with us for future posts on this amazing electronic board.