High Performance Embedded Computing for Makers and Artists

With the advent of platforms such as the Raspberry Pi and the BeagleBone Black, it is possible to embed

tiny, inexpensive computers with enormous amounts of processing power into a wide variety of projects,

opening up many new possibilities for interactive systems. The aim of this study is to build upon the

success of Bela, an embedded platform for building interactive audio systems, to increase the accessibility

of high-performance embedded computing to people within the maker and artistic communities. By

lowering the technical barriers to programming Bela through community-focussed development of a new

graphical programming environment, the power of high-performance embedded computing will be made

available to a large audience of creative people, without the need for advanced programming knowledge.

This technical development will be accompanied and strongly informed by research into the process by

which user communities coalesce around a set of tools, and the building of a lively community around

Bela.