Raspberry Pi is best known as a low-cost computing platform for education and hobbyists. Yet a growing ecosystem of industrial hardware vendors is turning the technology into a serious building block for automation and Edge computing.
Among them is Sfera Labs, an Italian developer of industrial control systems that adapt Raspberry Pi hardware for use in factories, infrastructure, and energy systems.
The company’s approach centres on combining the familiarity and open software ecosystem of Raspberry Pi with the reliability requirements expected in industrial automation.
At embedded world 2026 the company announced it has extended its modular platform with several new products: the Strato Pi Plus industrial Edge server, the Iono Pi v3 programmable logic controller, and an M.2 LTE expansion board for the Strato Pi Max, which adds cellular connectivity and satellite positioning capabilities to the industrial server. These launches reflect growing demand for flexible, reliable Edge computing hardware that can operate in remote or distributed industrial environments.
Industrialising an open platform
Sfera Labs develops hardware platforms that package Raspberry Pi single-board computers or compute modules into ruggedised systems suitable for industrial environments. The devices are designed to fit into electrical cabinets and control panels while providing the computing power of a full Linux-based system.
These platforms include features designed for continuous operation in industrial settings, including hardware watchdogs, redundant storage systems, and failover mechanisms that automatically restart systems after faults.
One of the company’s core product families is the Strato Pi range of edge computing servers, designed to connect industrial sensors, controllers, and networks. Another, the Iono Pi line, functions as a programmable logic controller built on the same open architecture.
These devices support widely used industrial communication standards, including RS-232, RS-485, and CAN bus, allowing them to interface with both modern automation equipment and legacy industrial systems.
“We develop the low-level drivers and the first layer of the software stack so developers can integrate with whatever they already use,” the company said. “It can be their own software, open PLC environments, or other frameworks that run on Raspberry Pi.”
The result is a platform that combines the openness of consumer computing hardware with the connectivity and reliability required in industrial environments.
A modular Edge computing architecture
Recent product launches illustrate how Sfera Labs is expanding this concept.
The Strato Pi Plus is an industrial Edge server designed for communication with multiple field devices across industrial networks. The system supports up to four opto-isolated RS-485 interfaces, alongside CAN V2.0B and CAN FD connectivity for industrial control networks.
At the heart of the device is a hybrid architecture combining a Raspberry Pi processor with a dedicated supervisory microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi RP2354 microcontroller. The microcontroller operates independently of the main processor, monitoring system health and enabling automatic recovery in the event of faults.
The platform is designed for continuous, unattended operation and includes additional features such as a hardware-based security element for cryptographic authentication and secure key storage.
The Iono Pi v3 controller complements the edge server as a compact programmable logic controller, integrating relay outputs, analogue inputs, and configurable general-purpose I/O pins alongside networking interfaces provided by the embedded Raspberry Pi system. Typical applications include building management systems, energy monitoring, environmental sensing, and industrial automation. Both devices are designed to mount directly onto DIN rails in electrical cabinets, a standard configuration used throughout industrial automation installations.
Meanwhile, the newly introduced M.2 LTE expansion board for the Strato Pi Max provides always-on cellular connectivity and GNSS positioning, addressing applications in remote monitoring, fleet management, and distributed IoT deployments where wired networks may be unreliable or unavailable. The board supports dual SIM slots and full software control of the LTE modem and GNSS functions, giving engineers precise programmatic control over connectivity and location services.
Open systems and industrial integration
A key part of the company’s strategy is maintaining compatibility with the wider Raspberry Pi development ecosystem.
Unlike traditional automation vendors, Sfera Labs focuses primarily on hardware platforms rather than complete proprietary software solutions. Customers typically build their own applications on top of the hardware.
This approach allows developers to use familiar programming languages, Linux-based software tools, and open-source automation frameworks.
In practice, the systems are often deployed alongside traditional industrial automation equipment. Conventional programmable logic controllers from suppliers such as Siemens can be integrated with the Raspberry Pi-based hardware, allowing engineers to introduce new capabilities without replacing existing infrastructure.
“Integration with other systems is one of the most important things,” the company said. “Industrial automation environments are always a mix of technologies.”
The ability to communicate with legacy protocols remains particularly important in sectors such as utilities and infrastructure, where equipment may remain in service for decades.
Edge intelligence and predictive maintenance
The increasing processing power of modern embedded hardware is also opening the door to new applications.
According to Sfera Labs, Raspberry Pi-based systems are now capable of running advanced workloads directly at the Edge of industrial networks, including artificial intelligence models and real-time analytics.
This enables applications such as predictive maintenance, where sensors monitor equipment behaviour and detect early signs of failure.
One example involves analysing sound patterns from industrial machinery. By learning the normal acoustic signature of a production line, a monitoring system can detect subtle changes that may indicate mechanical problems before they cause downtime.
“Even from the sound of the system you can detect that something is about to fail,” the company said. “You can identify the problem before the machine actually breaks.”
Such approaches are becoming increasingly common as manufacturers look for ways to improve operational efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.
Demand across industries
Sfera Labs says its hardware is now used across a wide range of industries, including industrial control, building automation, environmental monitoring, and energy management.
In some cases, the technology is deployed in remote environments where reliability is critical. Monitoring stations in remote coastal regions, for example, may require equipment capable of operating unattended for long periods.
“In some locations you can only reach the installation by helicopter,” the company said. “That means the system must be extremely reliable.”
The company reports strong demand across Europe as well as growing markets in the United States, India, and Australia.
As automation systems become more connected and data-driven, the combination of open computing platforms and industrial-grade hardware is attracting increasing interest from engineers and system integrators.
For companies such as Sfera Labs, the goal is to ensure that the familiarity and flexibility of the Raspberry Pi ecosystem can be applied to the demanding requirements of modern industrial automation.
