PHYCOMP

When people think of ‘programming’ or ‘coding’, they’re usually – and naturally – thinking about software. Coding can be about more than just software, though: it can affect the real world through hardware. This is known as physical computing. As the name suggests, physical computing is all about controlling things in the real world with your programs: hardware, rather than software. When you set the program on your washing machine, change the temperature on your programmable thermostat, or press a button at traffic lights to cross the road safely, you’re using physical computing.