Computing is more than the screen, keyboard, and mouse that sits on your desk or your carry in your backpack. Most computers are behind the scenes, inside devices such as your cell phone, toaster, car, furnace, elevator, music player, hearing aid, camera, and so on. For most people, this kind of computing is hidden inside a box that they cannot open. It might as well be magic.
Tangible (or concrete) computing is about opening the box. It liberates you from being a consumer of magic technology to a creator. With tangible computing you will not only understand what is in the box, but be able to build your own.
Our introduction to tangible computing is organized as a series of lab exercises. Our goal is to quickly introduce you to the simple fundamental blocks that you can use to build interesting devices. Along the way you will learn the fundamentals of computing, some basic concepts of circuits, and patience.
