Why did they just not re-use the Arduino platform?
That has a community and a toochain behind it. If you insist on making it IoT friendly, use one of the various networking shields available, or create a "BBC" Shield with the required hardware and connectors on it.
A local High school uses Arduinos for basic robotics - stuff made out of bits of plywood, servos, stepmotors and bent wire. I saw things like cranes and mousetraps - all mechanically dodgy, but made to work by the kids.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
