Frequently Asked Questions

(1) Download Synthiam ARC for free. (2) Create a free Synthiam account. (3) Follow our step-by-step Getting Started guide. We recommend beginning with a simple project to get familiar with the ARC interface and your first Robot Skills before moving to more complex behaviors.

No programming experience is required to start. ARC's drag-and-drop interface and pre-built Robot Skills let you create sophisticated robot behaviors without writing a single line of code. When you're ready to go further, ARC supports JavaScript, Python, C#, C++, Blockly (visual block coding), and RoboScratch—so there's a learning path for every skill level.

You'll need: a Windows 10 or later PC to run ARC, a compatible microcontroller or robot controller (such as an Arduino, ESP32, EZ-B v4, or Raspberry Pi with Synthiam firmware), and whatever actuators or sensors your project requires (servos, cameras, distance sensors, etc.). The Hardware Overview page lists everything that works with ARC out of the box.

ARC's scripting environment supports JavaScript, Python, C#, C++, Blockly (visual block-based coding ideal for beginners), and RoboScratch (Synthiam's own beginner-friendly visual language). You can use whichever you're most comfortable with, or mix multiple languages within the same ARC project.

Synthiam has an extensive library of tutorials and guides. Visit the Support & Docs section for step-by-step documentation, or browse community tutorials created by fellow robot builders. The Q&A forum is also a great resource if you get stuck on a specific challenge.

Absolutely. ARC is widely used in classrooms, after-school programs, university robotics labs, and STEM competitions. Its visual interface and RoboScratch language lower the barrier for young learners, while its advanced scripting and AI capabilities satisfy university-level research. Synthiam offers special educational pricing—contact us for details.

ARC Free gives you full access to the ARC platform with a generous set of built-in robot skills—perfect for getting started at no cost. ARC Pro is a monthly subscription that unlocks all the latest features, updates, unlimited cloud backups, and access to every premium skill in the Skill Store. ARC Runtime is a free edition for deploying finished robot projects—it loads and runs existing projects without editing capability and requires no subscription. See the full edition comparison.

No. You only need an ARC Pro subscription during the active programming and design stage. Once your robot project is complete, switch to the free ARC Runtime to load and operate your robot indefinitely—no ongoing subscription required.

All subscription options and current pricing are on the Plans page. Log in first to see any personalized discounts or promotional packages added to your account.

Subscriptions are non-refundable. Once activated, your subscription remains valid until the end of the paid billing period regardless of early cancellation. You retain full Pro access until the period expires.

Yes. Synthiam supports education and offers special pricing for qualifying educational institutions, students, and academic robotics programs. Contact us with details about your program to discuss educational licensing options.

ARC is hardware-agnostic and works with a vast range of robots and controllers. Officially supported platforms include EZ-B v3/v4, EZ-B IoTiny, Arduino (Uno, Mega, Nano, and more), ESP32, Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, various drones, and many commercial robot platforms. Any device running Synthiam-compatible firmware qualifies as an EZB and integrates seamlessly with ARC. Browse the full hardware compatibility list.

Yes. ARC supports a wide range of Arduino boards—Uno, Mega, Nano, Leonardo, and more—through Synthiam's EZB firmware. Once the firmware is flashed onto your Arduino it connects to ARC over USB or Wi-Fi, giving you full servo control, sensor reading, digital I/O, PWM, and more without writing any Arduino code.

Yes. Raspberry Pi is a fully supported EZB platform. With Synthiam firmware installed, a Raspberry Pi connects to ARC and can control GPIO pins, servos, cameras, and USB peripherals. The Raspberry Pi can also run certain ARC components directly, making it ideal for self-contained, embedded robot builds.

Yes. ARC supports multiple concurrent EZB connections within a single project. You can connect to several controllers at once—mixing different hardware types—and coordinate their behaviors through Robot Skills and scripting. This makes ARC ideal for multi-robot systems, swarm experiments, and synchronized robotic installations.

ARC requires Windows 10 or later (64-bit). Minimum: 4 GB RAM, 2 GB available disk space, one available USB port. For AI and vision skills we recommend 8 GB RAM or more and a modern multi-core processor. A USB webcam or IP camera is required for any computer vision Robot Skills.

Yes—computer vision and AI are core strengths of ARC. Built-in Robot Skills provide face detection and recognition, object tracking, color tracking, glyph detection, barcode reading, and OCR. ARC also integrates with cloud AI platforms including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services, and Google AI for natural language understanding, sentiment analysis, and image recognition—all configurable without writing code.

Absolutely. ARC includes built-in speech synthesis (text-to-speech) and speech recognition Robot Skills. You can configure your robot to speak in multiple languages, listen for voice commands, and respond intelligently using AI services. Speech recognition works both on-device and via cloud services for higher accuracy in noisy environments.

Yes. ARC has a rich set of navigation Robot Skills including LIDAR-based mapping, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), indoor positioning systems, obstacle avoidance, and GPS navigation. These can be combined with camera-based tracking to build fully autonomous navigation pipelines without custom sensor fusion code.

The Robot Skill Store is Synthiam's marketplace of modular robot capabilities. It contains hundreds of skills created by Synthiam and third-party technology partners, covering AI, computer vision, navigation, audio, servo control, IoT sensors, cloud services, and more. Robot builders browse the store, select the skills they need, and add them to ARC projects with a single click—no SDK integration required.

Yes. Many robotics startups, manufacturers, and enterprise companies use Synthiam ARC as the foundation for their commercial robot products. ARC Pro and ARC Runtime licensing is structured to support commercial deployments. Synthiam also offers business support plans and consulting for companies building products on the platform. Contact us to discuss commercial licensing.

Yes. ARC exposes a plugin SDK that allows developers to create custom Robot Skills in C# with full access to the ARC runtime API. This enables deep integrations with proprietary hardware, cloud services, and custom algorithms. The SDK is used by Synthiam's technology partners to publish skills in the Skill Store. Documentation is available in the Support section.

Yes. The Synthiam Community is an active forum where robot builders share projects, ask questions, post tutorials, and discuss everything from beginner builds to enterprise robots. Participating earns you platform credits, and community-created content—robots, apps, tutorials, questions—is freely searchable by everyone.

Yes. Synthiam's Partner Program lets developers, hardware companies, and technology creators build custom Robot Skills using the ARC Plugin SDK and publish them in the Skill Store. This gives you direct access to thousands of active robot builders as customers—without building your own distribution platform. Skills can be free or paid, with Synthiam handling billing and delivery.

If you make a sensor, cloud service, peripheral, or any technology that could benefit robot builders, Synthiam's partner program is designed for you. Partners publish their products as Robot Skills in the Skill Store, gaining direct access to the Synthiam robot builder community. Visit the Partner page to learn more and apply.

Yes. Synthiam rewards community participation with platform credits redeemable toward subscriptions and premium skills. Earn credits by publishing community content (robots, apps, tutorials), helping others with answers in the Q&A forum, and through referrals. Visit the Earn Credits page to see all available ways to earn.

The Support & Docs section is your first stop. Common fixes: reconnect USB devices and verify COM port settings, update GPU drivers for vision skills, check firewall rules allow ARC's network connections, and reinstall ARC if an update caused problems. The Community Q&A is also excellent—most common issues have already been solved there.

Browse the Support documentation, search the Community forum, or post a question in Community Questions. Tutorial videos are linked throughout the docs. For one-on-one expert assistance, Synthiam offers premium support plans for individuals and businesses.

Yes. Synthiam offers business support plans for startups, researchers, and enterprise clients, including dedicated expert assistance with robot development, architecture review, and custom integrations. Contact us to discuss your project and explore support options.

Bug reports and feature requests are welcome in the Community General forum. Include steps to reproduce, your ARC version, Windows version, and relevant hardware. The team monitors submissions regularly. You can also check the Known Issues page to see if your issue is already tracked.