Raspberry Pi Pico Projects for Schools

Resource Aim

This book guides learners through a range of projects, contextualised by cutting-edge themes including Machine Learning and Internet of Things. All projects are based on the Raspberry Pi Pico board, a cheap yet powerful device, which can be programmed in Python.  

Learning Outcomes

• To explore artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques
• To program a Pico using Python
• To use and apply code from Github
• To understand and apply Computer Science theory such as finite state machines and two’s complement
• To use internet services to push data to visualisation services for interrogation
• To learn and apply Computer Science techniques and theory using Jupyter notebooks
• To use a vision sensor to respond to facial recognition triggers
• To build a full physical device to solve a real-world problem

Resource Structure

The book is separated into distinct projects that introduce concepts and techniques required to achieve the projects goals. The projects build in complexity.

1. Getting Started – this project introduces the Pico and all the hardware and applications needed
2. Displaying Environmental Data – this project introduces data collection, storage and display
3. Analysing Environmental Data – this project introduces Jupyter notebooks and data analysis
4. The I in IoT – this project connects up the various elements needed for an IoT network
5. Data Science for managing well-being – this project captures physical data and interrogates the data to make assertions and predictions regarding well-being
6. Accessing data remotely – this project looks at how IoT technology can be used in Operational Technology in your home
7. Experimenting with Physics - this project measures 'time of flight' and guides you in building a model from the data
8. Security starts at home – this project introduces facial recognition concepts and techniques
9. Bringing it all together – this is the capstone project where learners build an automated bird feeder that identifies and deters squirrels

You can access this resource using the Download Now link below. Alternatively, if you would like to contribute or modify these materials, please access the product via GitHub. GitHub enables you to adapt our content and share your version with other teachers. To view our GitHub page for this resource, click ‘Access on GitHub’.