In the previous chapter, we learned how to detect movement with a PIR sensor, as well as measure distances and detect movement with ultrasonic sensors and Hall-effect sensors.

In this chapter, we will discuss alternative ways of structuring our Python programs when we are working with electronic sensors (input devices) and actuators (output devices). We will cover the classic event-loop approach to programming, before moving on to more advanced approaches, including the use of threads in Python, the publisher/subscriber model, and finally, asynchronous I/O programming with Python.

I guarantee you that there are many, many blog posts and tutorials across the internet covering these topics; however, what we will cover in this chapter will be uniquely focused on practical electronic interfacing. Our approach in...