This could mean the lighting around your desk dims slightly when you arrive, or a pre-determined microclimate is created for your meeting.

BBC: Edible edifice: Building the offices of tomorrow

But in spite of Arduino's near ubiquity these days, we'll admit that we were a bit taken aback when the familiar blue microcontroller made an appearance on a lab desk during our conversation with NASA "lighting guy, " Dr. Eirik Holbert.

ENGADGET