Ayah Bdeir wrote The Internet as Material Empowering the Next Phase of Connected Hardware Innovation as a way to introduce the iPad generation to digital legos. This is a resource that should be in every elementary school across America.
Lego turned the cement block into a toy that we have all played with growing up. Ayah is doing the same for the circuit board.
littleBits Electronics has launched a revolution in the open hardware movement that somehow remains in a ‘quite’ mode.
Her idea needs a bigger platform like for example the Gates Foundation to be catapulted across a national audience.
littleBits has a product solution for children that is the next step to the Raspberry Pi’s breadboard. Microsoft has really embraced Raspberry Pi and breadboards for their IoT projects.
For many students the idea of expanding their interest in electronic circuits falls off the table. Enter littleBits to help show a new way to get students interesting in creating and expanding their minds. And its amazing to see how much we need these types of creative tools in our schools today.
The idea of creating small color coded materials that can be attached by magnets are a perfectly safe introduction to circuit boards that curious children can play with to further their interest in building devices. Many of these ideas are being cultivated at SolidCon the Hardware, Software & the Internet of Things Conference in San Francisco.
They are growing up in a wonderful time as mature technologies have been made cost effective and yet are still very powerful. A four core 1Gz Raspberry Pi is a popular example. Now add the ability to interact with smart circuit boards and lets just watch how non engineers will help shape and create our future.