Arduino has released version 0.11 of App Lab, the integrated development environment built for its UNO Q and VENTUNO Q single-board computers. The update focuses on moving projects from prototype to finished product, adding new ways to package software for distribution and new hardware-tracking features that lean on the boards' onboard sensors and dual-processor design.
Packaging projects for other hardware
Arduino's UNO Q and VENTUNO Q boards use what the company calls a "dual-brain" architecture: a Qualcomm Dragonwing system-on-chip handles application-level tasks in Python, while a paired STMicroelectronics STM32 microcontroller manages real-time operations using Wiring-flavored C/C++. App Lab is the single interface that lets developers write and coordinate code for both chips without switching tools.
The headline addition in version 0.11 is the ability to generate "production grade" export bundles, called Apps Releases, directly from within the IDE. These packages aren't limited to Arduino's own boards - the company says they also work with third-party hardware certified under its "Works with Arduino" program, giving developers a path to ship finished projects beyond a single device.
New sensing and AI capabilities
App Lab organizes pre-built functions into modular components the company calls "Bricks." This release adds a pose-estimation Brick capable of mapping a 17-point body skeleton at up to 10 frames per second, though Arduino notes this feature requires the more powerful VENTUNO Q rather than the base UNO Q. The company's own example use case - recognizing a tennis swing - illustrates the kind of motion-tracking tasks this is aimed at.
The existing Large Language Model Brick now supports importing compatible models from Hugging Face, and a new sidebar adds a built-in chatbot interface for getting coding help without leaving the IDE. A Terrestrial Positioning Service Brick also debuts, estimating a board's location using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and cellular signal scanning rather than satellite GPS.
Expanded phone integration
Arduino's companion mobile app, which already let the camera on a phone serve as a sensor input, gains a WebSocket-based remote peripheral feature in this release. It allows a phone's microphone and inertial measurement unit to stream data directly to a connected board, broadening the sensor options available for projects without extra hardware.
Availability
Arduino App Lab 0.11 is available now as a free download from the Arduino website. Its source code is published on GitHub under the GNU General Public License 3, a reciprocal open-source license that requires derivative works to remain open as well.