Pinkie

A prototyping board for distributed physical computing, connecting custom sensors and actuators across the Internet.

Pinkie is a network-based electronics prototyping board developed as a precursor to building large-scale networked systems around physical devices. It is designed to easily compose and coordinate sensors and actuators located in different physical locations.

Pinkie works in conjunction with Open I/O, a suite of software services for composing and running distributed electronic media. This integration enables users to program, operate, and remotely exchange data between distributed custom electronics.

Both Pinkie and Open I/O were part of OPENSTUDIO’s Device Infrastructure, a digital economy platform for artists. The boards remain hidden within structures, functioning as silent facilitators that bridge the physical and digital worlds.

A total of 250 Pinkies were produced and used in various projects at the MIT Media Lab and beyond, including A Stock Market in Life, where they facilitated real-time data streams from four remote locations.