Maker Faire sponsor littleBits are modular electronic components (called bits) that snap together with the help of magnets. With no programming needed, you can literally snap together working circuits in seconds.
CEO Ayah Bdeir spoke at the Make: Innovation stage about littleBits. She said when kids see littleBits they dive right in and start building circuits, while adults are much more fearful, afraid they’ll break something and wanting to read the instructions first. She said the original littleBits kits came with a one-page instruction sheet, and the kids were fine with it — but adults wanted something more robust so the company wrote them a 30-page manual. This really shows how the bits allow kids to simply start building, and how adults can learn from kids’ eagerness to explore.
At their recent global hackathon, teams of adults and kids from 17 cities built littleBits projects, vying for a prize of $1,000 in bits. The winners, based in the Rolling Robots kids’ workshop, consisted of four kids ages 8-11 who built an interactive Hollywood sign.
If you’re at Maker Faire, be sure to check out the littleBits booth where they’re demonstrating 3 new kits. You can find it right next to the Maker Shed on Science Avenue, Zone D.
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