A microcontroller is like a small computer built into a single chip. It has its own processor (CPU), memory, and input/output pins to connect with the outside world.

You can think of it as the brain of a machine — it reads signals from sensors (inputs), decides what to do (process), and sends commands to devices like motors or lights (outputs).

Microcontrollers are used in everything from toys, watches, and calculators to robots, satellites, and industrial machines.

In this lesson, we will explore two popular microcontroller boards: the Arduino Uno and the Raspberry Pi Pico.