Introduction

Up until this point, all we have used for user interaction in our programs is the keyboard and mouse. In this chapter, we will talk about using a sensor board to interact with Scratch. Specifically, we are going to discuss using the brand referred to as PicoBoards, by PicoCricket (http://www.picocricket.com/). The specific PicoBoard we're using in this chapter can be purchased from https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10311. At the time of writing the cost was $44.95 plus shipping. A mini USB cable is not included, so you'll want to purchase one of those from any cable supplier. Note that there are other types of sensor boards (and even other outside devices) that can be integrated with Scratch. In fact, some have set up the Microsoft Kinect, Nintendo Wii, Arduino, and more. The PicoBoard is used here as an example of some of what you can do. You should always feel free to explore other technologies!

It is also worth noting that this chapter is the only chapter in this book that...