If you do not know what a Raspberry Pi is, don’t tell anyone. Just read ahead. I’ll explain but you should be bothered that you know that Kylie Jenner has a child but you don’t know what a Raspberry Pi is.

A Raspberry Pi is a SBC. Yup! SBC stands for single-board computer. So a Raspberry Pi is basically a portable computer. It’s about 93mm X 54 mm big – as big as your ATM card. This should fascinate you if you didn’t know about it.

The Raspberry Pi can be used for many things. In this piece, we will highlight 5 cool things you can do with it. Hopefully, you will be motivated to learn how to use this powerful device.

  1. Home Automation

Think of the Jetsons. Now think about your life and how far away you are from their world. The Raspberry Pi is a very useful tool for bridging this gap. It’s especially powerful when combined with an Arduino (another powerful small device). There are books and tutorials all over the web to get you started. Remember, Google is your friend.

  1. Robotics

This is also an important feature the Raspberry Pi brings on board. A lot of other manufacturers have capitalized on the versatility of the Raspberry Pi and have created curriculums that help to teach robotics. Imagine the possibilities. Just so you know, building robots is a cool way to get the attention of that special someone.

  1. Voice Controlled Anything

With the right kind of sensors, you can manipulate any device to obey your commands. Think of Kantanka and his clapping effect but this time, with your voice. You can also liaise with your iPhone’s Siri for more control.

  1. Build a portable television or radio

Now that GBC is trying to get you to pay for the TV license, this is a cool way to avoid all the brouhaha. Just connect your USB TV adaptor, adjust some of the settings, and voila. You’re good to go. No wahala with GBC and no big antenna things. The same applies to the radio, both the internet radio and traditional radio sets.

  1. Anything requiring a computer

As we mentioned earlier, the Raspberry Pi is a computer, just portable. Are you saving to purchase that new Mac but still need a computer like yesterday? Don’t worry. The Raspberry Pi has got you covered. It runs on a friendly version of Linux so you can get your software for free too.

The objective of this piece is to make you think about all the things you could do or learn on your own without breaking the bank. The Raspberry Pi costs about $35 (less than the GHS 200). Consider this an investment into your new technological world.

It’s easy to manipulate and understand.

After reading this piece, if you are interested and motivated to learn the Raspberry Pi, comment below and we will help you out.