Arduino is a microcontroller board that allows users to create interactive electronic objects and prototypes. It is commonly used by artists, students, and hobbyists to build devices that can sense and control the physical world. The Arduino Uno board contains a microprocessor, memory, and input/output connections that allow it to interface with sensors, LEDs, motors, and other physical computing components. Users write code using the Arduino IDE software to program the board and control the attached devices.