The microcontroller that I chose is Atmega168PA. The high-performance Atmel picoPower 8-bit AVR RISC-based microcontroller combines 16KB ISP flash memory with read-while-write capabilities, 512B EEPROM, 1KB SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working registers, three flexible timer/counters with compare modes, internal and external interrupts,serial programmable USART, a byte-oriented 2-wire serial interface, SPI serial port, 6-channel 10-bit A/D converter (8-channels in TQFP and QFN/MLF packages), programmable watchdog timer with internal oscillator, and five software selectable power saving modes. The device operates between 1.8-5.5 volts.
By executing powerful instructions in a single clock cycle, the device achieves throughputs approaching 1 MIPS per MHz, balancing power consumption and processing speed.
Applications that use the Atmega168PA:
Building Automation
Home Appliances
Home Entertainment
Industrial Automation
Metering
Mobile Electronics
http://www.atmel.com/devices/atmega168pa.aspx?tab=applications
I am simply fascinated by the type of controller you have found. I do not have a deep background in electronics and hardware but I am enthralled that microcontrollers exist in nearly every capacity of modern electronics in our society today. I would really like to inquire as to how you will be using a microcontroller in your future project? It seems as though there are so many avenues for exploration and ideas that could be implemented with a microcontroller that I think it has given me some ideas about what I could do for my final project.
There are so many functions that a microcontroller can serve to do and I think with Arduino, who knows what new ideas and inventions can be brought to this world as a result. Maybe one day, every electronic in the world can be powered with Arduino hardware. It could bring down hardware costs and make electronics cheaper for the people who buy them.