PicoFlutter RP2040 Butterfly Wearable

PicoFlutter is an open-source, butterfly-shaped wearable badge built around the RP2040. Its two wings are outlined with 26 individually addressable RGB LEDs, and it has a Qwiic connector to extend its capabilities with other modules. It's programmable in CircuitPython or MicroBlocks, so a complete beginner can light it up in minutes. The board is powered either via USB-C or a single-cell LiPo battery.

Why I made it 🦋

I designed PicoFlutter as the centerpiece of a hands-on workshop at the Open Hardware Summit 2026. I wanted a teaching board that doesn't look like a teaching board. The bet here was simple: if the hardware is beautiful, people stay curious long enough to actually learn the embedded-systems fundamentals underneath it.

The LEDs trace the shape of each wing, so you can write code to animate the butterfly, making the wings physically flap, or rippling light from the body out to the wingtips. The second goal for the workshop was collective behavior. We connected an IR transceiver to the Qwiic port to create a swarm effect across everyone in the room. Butterflies broadcast their color/state over infrared and react to what their neighbors send. The room genuinely lit up once the badges started syncing with each other.

Board specs

• RP2040 MCU
• W25Q QSPI Flash
• 12 MHz crystal
• 26 × WS2812B Neopixel LEDs, 1010 package
• Qwiic/STEMMA Connector
• USB-C
• LiPo charging included
• Programming using CircuitPython / MicroBlocks

Assembly Video