Hello Raspberry Pi enthusiasts! Welcome to the May 2025 edition of our Raspberry Pi skills newsletter. This month we’re diving into exciting maker events, an inspiring Pi project, a quick tech tutorial, and the latest trends in the Pi world. Read on for a dose of inspiration and practical tips to boost your Pi mastery!
🚀 Events Roundup: Mark Your Calendars
Automate 2025 (May 12–15, Detroit, MI) – North America’s largest automation showcase is back, featuring 800+ exhibitors in robotics, AI, machine vision, and Expect cutting-edge demos and keynotes on manufacturing tech innovations.
Coolest Projects Global (online) – The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s global youth tech showcase is open for submissions, Young makers (up to 18) share their coolest builds online, with a celebratory livestream.
Computex 2025 (May 20–23, Taipei) – One of the world’s biggest tech expos returns to Taipei Nangang Exhibition Look out for next-gen PCs, IoT devices, and maybe even some new SBC (Single Board Computer) hardware news amid the AI and hardware announcements.
🎓 Project Spotlight: “Third Eye” AI Glasses for the Visually Impaired
Image: The “Third Eye” project – a smart glasses setup with a Pi (background) that uses a camera and earpiece to help visually impaired users perceive their environment (Md. Khairul Alam).
Meet Third Eye – an innovative wearable that uses Raspberry Pi to make a real difference. Maker Md. Khairul Alam has created a headset built into a pair of glasses with a tiny camera and an earpiece, essentially a Raspberry Pi-powered “third eye” to help visually impaired persons navigate the world. The device uses on-board AI to interpret the wearer’s surroundings and narrate them audibly in real time. According to Alam, the goal is to help blind people become more independent in their daily
💡 Takeaway: creative Pi projects like this show how your skills can impact people’s lives – truly motivating!
🛠️ Quick Tutorial: Boot Your Raspberry Pi from an NVMe SSD
Tired of slow SD cards? Upgrade your Pi’s storage for a massive speed boost. Both Raspberry Pi 4 and the new Raspberry Pi 5 support booting from SSD (including NVMe drives), which means faster boot times and more reliable storage. Here’s a quick how-to:
Choose an NVMe SSD (and Adapter) – Get a compatible M.2 NVMe drive. For Raspberry Pi 5, you can use the PCIe M.2 slot (via an adapter board or HAT); for Pi 4, use a USB 3.0 to M.2 NVMe enclosure.
Update Your Bootloader – Make sure your Pi’s firmware is up to date. The latest bootloader (as of Jan 2024) enables direct NVMe boot on Pi 5 without extra . On a Pi 4, update the firmware to enable USB boot if you haven’t already.
Flash the OS to the NVMe – Use the Raspberry Pi Imager or the SD Card Copier tool to write Raspberry Pi OS to your NVMe. (You may need to connect the NVMe via USB to your PC for imaging, or use the Pi itself with the copier utility.) Ensure you use the newest Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm) for best compatibility.
Configure Boot Settings – Insert the NVMe into your Pi. For Pi 5, simply remove any microSD card and power on – the Pi should boot from NVMe by default if the OS is properly installed. For Pi 4, you might need to set the boot order to prioritize USB (NVMe) via raspi-config or the EEPROM configuration tool (for example, setting
BOOT_ORDER=0xf41to try USB first).Boot and Enjoy – Power up your Pi and it should load the OS from the NVMe drive. You’ll immediately notice snappier response. In fact, users report that running a Pi from an SSD “feels like a much more powerful device” compared to an SD card. You can now enjoy quicker boots, faster file operations, and improved reliability (no more corrupted SD cards)! 🎉
Why NVMe? An NVMe SSD can offer dramatically higher read/write speeds than a microSD (hundreds of MB/s vs. ~50 MB/s). That means smoother software updates, better database or disk-intensive app performance, and a Pi that keeps pace with your projects as they grow. Give it a try if you crave more performance from your little board!
📈 Trend Watch: What’s Brewing in the Pi World
Edge AI on Devices – AI isn’t just for the cloud. Raspberry Pi users are running machine learning models on-device for image recognition, voice assistants, and more. With the Raspberry Pi 5 (and Compute Module 5) plus dedicated accelerators (like the Hailo AI chips), makers can achieve 13+ TOPS of AI performance at the edge – enough for real-time vision tasks like object detection and facial recognition. This trend means smarter robots, cameras, and IoT devices that don’t depend on an internet connection to be intelligent.
🤝 Level Up with Pi Mastery
Are you excited to take your Raspberry Pi skills to the next level? Pi Mastery is our upcoming hands-on learning program designed to help you become a Raspberry Pi pro. We combine a curated curriculum of projects, expert guidance, and a supportive community to accelerate your learning. Whether you want to master GPIO electronics, build AI gadgets, or deploy home automation like a champ, Pi Mastery will provide the step-by-step path and mentorship to get you there. The program is launching soon – here’s how you can get involved now:
Join the Pi Mastery Waitlist – Don’t miss out on the launch! Secure early access by signing up for the waitlist. Sign up here to reserve your spot and get exclusive updates.
Help Us Shape Pi Mastery – We’re inviting a few passionate readers for brief user interviews to ensure Pi Mastery covers exactly what you need. Interested in a 15-minute chat (and a sneak peek)? Volunteer here to share your input. Your feedback will directly influence the program and you’ll get some insider knowledge!
We’re super excited about building Pi Mastery with the community, and we’d love to have you on board. 🎉 Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!
Now over to you – we’d love to hear your voice! What Raspberry Pi project or skill are you most excited about right now? Have you recently built something awesome, or is there a Pi challenge you’re tackling next? Hit reply and let us know. 😃 Your insights or questions might be featured in a future newsletter, so don’t be shy!
Until next time, keep experimenting and happy making. Build on, Pi aficionados!
Adil KA