I was asked to review the STEMTera having absolutely no idea what it was. The website does not clearly mention what it is about. I remained a bit puzzled until I opened the box and the product’s purpose became immediately clear and I loved the idea.

What is STEMTera?

STEMTera has built an Arduino R3 right into a 40-column breadboard. Put the other way around, it is an Arduino Uno R3 built into a strong enclosure that doubles as a breadboard. This clearly is the strong point of the device: it provides a robust way for tinkering with Arduino. It is sturdy and will not break easily when it drops on the floor, and it is impossible to accidentally drop a piece of wire on or stick a screwdriver in the running Arduino and create a short circuit.

Educational tool

Printed on the side of the box it came in, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, indicating that we are dealing with an educational tool. Indeed, to me, this seems one of, if not the best way to use Arduino at school. Throw them on the tables, and when done throw them all back in the box, no damage done. STEMTera fits perfectly on Lego bricks with it's bottom side. You easily fit it on Lego projects without going through all sorts of hoops to make it stay in place.

What the Tera means? No clue, but who cares anyway? So, back to the board.