Technical Machine, the startup behind the Tessel hardware, aim to make embedded development as easy as building web apps. If the pipeline they’ve designed works as promised this will certainly make hardware prototyping much faster and easier.

Firstly, the micro-controller board runs JavaScript natively. NodeJS libraries and dependencies are supported and installed through npm. Telemetry, firmware and code updates can be deployed over USB or remotely over the built in WiFi receiver on the device. Outputs are then controlled from the Tessel phone app (Android and iOS) or through your own HTML/CSS interface.

The board itself is extensible, with the developers promising plug-in boards for servos, relays, RFID, Audio, Bluetooth, MicroSD, Accelerometer, temperature and humidity sensors. They also promise an Arduino module compatible with Arduino shields and can run Arduino libraries and sketches directly.

Crowd-funding for Tessel production can be found on Dragon Innovation until the beginning of October 2013.